September 15, 2026
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angry birds yay

Is Angry Birds the Gateway to Gamification in the Classroom?

Margo Kleman45 mins

Many would argue that there is a clear distinction between videogames and the art of gamification since the latter specifically applies game mechanics to non-game contexts. However, with a generation brought up on videogames and the need to engage these children in the classroom, the lines are becoming ever more blurred.

Traditionally, one may think of gamification in the classroom as an instance where a game was specifically designed and implemented in order to achieve learning through the application of game mechanics. This embodies the stereotypical edu-tech games like Mavis Beacon where students are taught how to type more effectively through a series of challenges. Games like Mavis Beacon apply gamification through the use of game mechanics like rewards to incentivize completion (whether by points, badges or leveling up), leaderboards to instill competition amongst other participants, and analytics to track the progress of the player as well as overall implementation success.

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mike skocko

Turning Art Class into a Creative MMORPG with Mike Skocko

Ivan Kuo12 mins

The Gamification Revolution is the only live gamification webcast featuring Gabe Zichermann and fellow gamification experts every week. Be sure to catch our next episode next Thursday, September 26 at 1PM ET/1800 GMT, where we will feature the best and brightest in engagement.

Remember you can participate in the show if you sign-in and RSVP! Signing in will allow you to receive show reminders, ask questions, and even join Gabe and our guest for a live question.

In this review, we feature Mike Skocko, a visual-arts educator at Valhalla High School in California. We had first heard of Mike through an esteemed recommendation from Adobe’s Tacy Trowbridge on Mike’s awesome gamification initiatives. Listen to Mike’s story below to learn about the questing system he adopted into his visual-art class to deliver curriculum in an interesting way.

This is a great conversation about a real-life teacher using effective game mechanics in the classroom. Watch Mike’s full interview below.

 



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what critics don't understand about education in gamification

What Critics Don’t Understand About Gamified Education

Eugene Sheely58 mins

Critics of gamified education always seem to miss some major points:

  1. Gamified education is much more than making mundane activities like work and study fun
  2. What makes a game fun is constant learning
  3. Not all gamified activities are fun, but they’re engaging
  4. Gamified education is the best way to leverage our new technologies to gain the necessary skills and knowledge in the information age

Gamified education should be advocated for its most practical reason: It’s the best method we know on how to organize learning environments to increase knowledge in both diversity and density. Gamified education is not merely an improvement from the current traditional educational model; it’s a completely new innovative way of learning.

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