All Work and No Play

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” I’m sure we’ve all heard this proverb before. Frequently, there is a very clear, distinct line drawn between play and work. “Work is work, and play is play,” my elementary school teacher would often say. Soon, I began to despise “work time” and long for more “play time.” Thus, my grades dropped, and I began a culture of ignoring my responsibilities because they were much, much, well, uninteresting. 

Outdated Education System

Evidently, our current education system is outdated. In the 21st century, technology and STEM are dominating nearly every aspect of life and will continue to grow for centuries to come. At the center is the development of games. With the changing times, our education system must change as well. 

Gamification of Education

What is gamification? To explain, gamification is the implementation of components of a game into another activity. In other words, gamifying learning is the modeling of education into an entity similar to a game or bringing aspects of gaming into classrooms to further the education of students.  

Then, why should we gamify education? Of course, there are many reasons to do so.  

21st Century Skills

First and foremost is the development of 21st century skills. In the corporate world, one must cultivate many modern skills to succeed. These skills include creativity, social skills, collaboration, flexibility, leadership, initiative, communication, productivity, and problem solving.  

By incorporating a team-based game into teaching methods, we teach students valuable team-work skills such as collaboration skills, communication skills, and social skills, as well as flexibility regarding roles, initiative skills, and leadership skills. Also, to reach the goal of the game efficiently, problem-solving skills would be practiced, as well productivity and creativity. In conclusion, gamifying learning allows students to learn important 21st century skills in the classroom. 

The Gamification of Robotics

Also, an additional benefit of gamifying learning is the natural promotion of STEM education that comes along with gamification. Gamifying education transforms the method of education into a STEM centered one- one that befits the 21st century. Gamifying robotics creates a whole new division of STEM that will lead the future of science and technology. By combining AI with gaming, the gamification of robotics teaches students futuristic AI knowledge through an up-to-date and entertaining way. Gamified Robotics is an extremely important division of STEM that should be taught in schools throughout the country. At MorphBots, we are currently developing a gamified virtual robotics kit. With this kit, students will learn about programming, robotics, and AI while learning extremely beneficial 21st century skills. 

By Erica Wang