19. Gamification in Virtual Worlds for Learning: A Case Study of PIERSiM for Business Education

Gamification provides new opportunities to engage and motivate the learner. Leveraging the learning potential of games has proved difficult. For insightful learning to occur it is necessary to integrate the processes of action and reflection. Incorporating learning concepts and theories in the design of the gaming experience is required if this is to occur. To date, gamification appears to be preoccupied with badging rather than seeking to overlay the learning processes of reflection, analysis and insight over the gaming experience. The business simulation, PierSim, has successfully achieved this. A sample of 250 students who used PierSim was surveyed in regard to their learning experience. The learnings derived from the gaming experience were insightful and meaningful to the student. The students valued the integration of concepts, the learning and the level of engagement above the ‘fun’ experience. Contrary to the commonly held perception that gaming is a male-orientated domain, female students derived a higher level of engagement, learning and satisfaction than their male peers. Rather than the traditional focus on the gamification of learning, this research suggests that the future rests with the learnification of games.