Internet Learning Volume 3, Number 2, Fall 2014 | Page 48

Internet Learning (Bogost, 2011; Zicherman, 2011). Bogost (2011) suggests a better name for gamification in its currently used application, in many instances, is exploitationware, as he feels that the best elements of the game are left out and the rest is left to exploit the customer through marketing, points, and badges. For the purpose of identifying the important elements and traits within gamifying as related to game-thinking and game-mechanics, it will be important to understand the role and importance of ownership and immersion, narratives and quests, feedback loop, and crowdsourcing. Ownership and Immersion Many game scholars and game developers agree that the elements of what makes a game good, should also be considered and embedded in a truly gamified experience--be that a formal school learning experience or a business and commerce experience. Games are rule based systems, not free play systems, so there will always need to be some structure to the environment in which the gamification experience is being employed, however, as stated above it must move beyond the points and leaderboards and should include elements that allow gamers to become immersed in the experience, and take ownership of what they are doing in the gamified experience. The ownership and immersion in gaming situations, through the concept of situated and embodied learning--learning that allows one to experience the event and activity--is also typically tied to the projective identity that a gamer develops within a game play experience, which allows the gamer to interface between his/ her real-world identity (involving morals, ideals, etc) and the in-game virtual identity (pre-programmed traits, abilities, and controls) of the avatar (Gee, 2007) . Ownership and immersion are important concepts to consider for those who are examining the important game elements and mechanics that they plan to embed in their gamified experience. Narrative and Quests What ownership and immersion ultimately mean for the gamification of programs, websites, and products is that motivation and desire to participate must be inherent in the design. Good narratives, quests, and missions can allow this to come to fruition. Just as games drop gamers into a quest or a setting where they immediately feel useful and motivated to succeed, so too must gamified experiences. This is often done through providing a quest or mission to the players, thus giving them something that they can immediately begin to experience and work through. As Gee (2013) mentions, humans are really good at telling stories and working through narratives. According to Gee all life is a story and through story history gets told. In gaming, this concept of narrative and story is tapped into when the gamer owns his or her experience as the story unfolds through game play. Salen and Zimmerman (2004) state the importance of narrative within gaming environments as, "Playing a game means interacting within a representational universe, a space of possibility with narrative dimensions" (p. 378). These narrative dimensions are directly tied to the concept of story that Gee (2013) indicated is so very important to life and history, which can also be suggestive of working closely with the concepts of ownership, immersion, and identity, thus also indicating that narrative is also tied to personal experiences and may be different for different players depending on their 47