Learning by Playing

Abstract

This chapter aims to introduce the reader into the concepts Gamification and Game-Based Learning (hereinafter, GBL) and to highlight their influence on the transmission of knowledge and development of competencies and skills in the Society of Knowledge. After a brief prior familiarization with the main features of learning and educational paradigms in the twenty-first century as well as with effective teaching strategies and pedagogical methodologies in such a context, it will move towards the clarification of the meaning of the aforementioned terms and other related concepts in what might be called the framework of playful learning. Straightaway, a detailed description of the main applicable strategies to develop an effective gamified proposal will be offered. These playful techniques have a significant ability to influence learners' motivation and strengthen their commitment to training projects while their participation, engagement, curiosity, fantasy and desire for adventures are stimulated and developed. They also have plenty of remarkable chances in the field of behavioral modeling, a topic also discussed in the chapter and whose applications within Education, and in any other economic or social area, are numerous and varied. The final level of this challenge is an exploration of the key game-based design elements (aesthetics, dynamics, mechanics and components) to close the overview of the landscape that is presented.