Play to Order

In this paper, based off his Pecha Kucha micropresentation, the author discusses the lack of attention to Johan Huizinga’s work in the debates on gamification, or the use of game mechanics and design to engage students. Huizinga’s definition of play and concept of a magic circle surrounding play spaces can help shift our understanding of gamification from contested to productive. The presenter argues that because we can already view education and life as a game, our goal is not to apply a glossy veneer to class work, but to reveal the ways in which class work is already a game.