Gamification has been an exciting tool in education, corporate training, marketing, and team-building for the past several years now. It is still fairly new, though, and for most people what it is and how it works is still a big mystery. Here’s some information that may help you wrap your head around how it can be useful

The research of Dr. Hiller Spires and Dr. James Lester at NC State University investigates how games can influence problem solving for middle grade students in STEM education. I first looked at their work back some five years ago or so. Lester runs a research lab on games in education through the College of Engineering in computer

So, before you go and say that games in learning or gamification in learning isn’t for adults, let me just remind you that every age enjoys playing games. My Great Aunt Flo taught me how to play Spite and Malice, a card game she regularly played with her friends until she was well into her 80’s.

A recent article put out by the Wharton School of Business with the University of Pennsylvania shares several ways companies are using gamification as a motivator for employees, particularly in sales fields. Of course, as with any successful design solution, a sound understanding of what the solution should accomplish and an analysis of the target audience are critical in designing