How Fun and Games Increase Learning Engagement

We know that there is always something new to learn in health care. How can you keep motivation high to engage learners in continuous improvement? One way to increase learning engagement is through fun, games, and competition. 

The Science of Fun in Learning 

Fun plays a key role in social interactions and work because it fosters curiosity and learning.¹ Implementing fun as an education strategy increases intrinsic motivation, decreases stress, increases attention span, and facilitates a state of relaxed alertness that allows learners to be creative, take risks, make mistakes, and continue trying while figuring things out.² From a neuroscience perspective, pleasurable activities release dopamine, which enhances mood, increases focused attention, and stimulates the memory center of the brain—enhancing the learner’s ability to internalize the new material.³ 

The Strategies of Fun in Learning 

Gamification is a learning strategy that applies game elements like points, levels, badges, or certificates to non-game contexts to motivate learning through increased persistence, repetition, collaboration, and competition.^4,5 Game-based learning uses games and puzzles to engage learners in problem-solving and critical thinking as they complete tasks. Gaming engages staff members in an active learning process, which increases knowledge retention and fosters critical thinking skills.⁶  

You don’t need to get fancy technology or expensive equipment to implement game-based learning and gamification. First, we will identify simple strategies to gamify any learning situation. Then, we will consider design strategies for multi-step games. Finally, we will review some free and low-cost ways to use technology to gamify learning.  

Simple Games 

Simple and low-cost ways to implement gamification and game-based learning include using puzzles, modifying existing games, developing games that meet the learning objective, and tracking points or using a leaderboard. Examples include the following. 

• Develop or use available puzzles like crosswords, word searches, and “what’s wrong with this picture.”  
• Modify existing games like Trivial Pursuit, Scattergories, or Chutes and Ladders to fit the content areas. 
• Create your own games like beachball policy review. 
• Use PowerPoint templates for games like Jeopardy or Family Feud. 
• Develop a weekly five-question review quiz and track correct responses to post on a leaderboard in the department.  

Complex Games 

Complex games involve multiple puzzles or levels like relay races or escape rooms. There are two keys for stress-free multistage games. First, use a planning tool to identify your objectives, write out the steps for each stage, and identify all supplies that are needed to complete the steps. Second, test the full game before you implement it to make sure each phase flows together. Relay races can be used in a variety of ways. Examples of ways to use relay races include the following. 

• “Start your day” relay race in which two teams need to successfully interview their patient, set up equipment in the correct locations, position their patient, and perform a time out.
• “Gowning and gloving” relay race in which two teams have each person in sequential order gown and glove without contaminating themselves. If they contaminate themselves, they need to start over. 

Escape rooms use multiple puzzles that guide learners through each step until they can complete the final puzzle and break out of the room. To learn more about escape rooms, read this article, “Six Design Keys for Escape Rooms in Nursing.” 

Technology-Assisted Games 

Finally, you can use technology to gamify your content. You can use web-based gaming technology to quiz your learners while they collect points using sites like Mentimeter, Kahoot!, Baamboozle, or Poll Everywhere. This type of technology can be used during in-services as standalone activities or it can be embedded in lectures. Cost is a factor when selecting technology-assisted games. Although most platforms offer a free version, you may need to pay for access depending on how many leaners will use the game at any given time. 

References 

1. Vieira LC, da Silva FSC. Assessment of fun in interactive systems: a survey. Cogn Syst Res. 2017;41:130-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsys.2016.09.007   
2. Bisson C, Luckner J. Fun in learning: the pedagogical role of fun in adventure education. J Exp Educ. 1996;19(2):108-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382599601900208  
3. Tisza G, Markopoulos P. FunQ: Measuring the fun experience of a learning activity with adolescents. Curr Psychol. 2023;42:1936-1956. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01484-2 
4. Ding L, Er E, Orey M. An exploratory study of student engagement in gamified online discussions. Comput Educ. 2018;120:213-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.02.007  
5. Barata G, Gama S, Jorge J, Gonçalves D. Studying student differentiation in gamified education: a long-term study. Comput Human Behav. 2017;71:550-585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.049  
6. McEnroe-Petitte D, Farris C. Using gaming as an active teaching strategy in nursing education. Teach Learn Nurs. 2020;15(1):61-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2019.09.002