For our LEAP 3 we interviewed Professor Ian Reyes of the Harrington School of Communication at the University of Rhode Island. We conducted a face to face interview in his Davis Hall office. The interview focused on gamification and how it helps build user confidence that can be later applied to similar life experiences. Gamification, by definition, is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts (Webster, 2015). In an attempt to improve user engagement, organizational productivity, flow, learning, and evaluation, gamification turns everyday aspects of life into games. One aspect of gaming that allows people to adapt to the education system and become better learners is the need to establish an identity and a presence within a video game. Jim Gee, a researcher in discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and a faculty affiliate of the Games, Learning, and Society group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says in his article, “Good Video Games and Good Learning,” that video games capture players through identity. He argues that players become committed to the new virtual world in which they live, learn, and act through their commitment. Establishing a sense of identity allows gamers to understand who they are, their purpose, and their mission within the game. Assuming an identity builds user confidence in the idea that they gain a sense of belonging. That confidence may then transfer to real-life situations, as they begin to apply their newfound confidence to the real-world.

Another aspect of gaming that allows students to adapt to the education system, become better learners, and build confidence is learning to fail. Professor Reyes stated that “your most common experience in games is that you are dying and suffering (Reyes).” In other words, video games help us cope with failure. Failure is something that everyone experiences. Especially in regards to education. As hard as we try to win, the experience of playing actually tends to be dominated more often by failure, disappointment, and frustration. Professor Reyes continued to talk about the works of Jesper Juul, an assistant professor at the New York University Game Center. An article published by The Boston Globe goes on to talk about Jesper Juul and his work in regards to gamification. Juul exclaims that the experience of being wrecked by a game contains multitudes, and can teach us a great deal about why we play, how we think, and what we want (Nayfakh). There is no fun without losing, Juul writes in his book, “The Art of Failure,” just as there is no pleasure without pain. Juul argues that games, in a way that’s unlike novels, movies, paintings, or poetry, allow us to inhabit failure and experience redemption. Games place us in the position of working toward a goal and frustrating us as we pursue it. “They force us to confront all the ways in which we’re weak and incompetent while also giving us a chance to outgrow them (Juul, 28).” Gee also discusses a player’s growing comfort with failure, or being unafraid to fail. He refers to it as “risk-taking” and says that because players can start back up right from where they left off, players are encouraged to “take risks, explore, and try new things” (Gee, 6). Gee discusses in his video, “Principles on Gaming,” that games invite you to try a new style, to experiment, to try new ways and new strategies in a safe place. In this way, players may become new types of learner. Gee believes failure is a good thing, for each time a player fails, he/she gain some sort of feedback about the progress being made. The same cannot always be said for for schooling environments, for schools do not always encourage risk-taking, exploration, and failure.

Professor Reyes goes on to expand on how gamification creates a sense of community. Gee argues, too, that games offer a sense of community and social interaction, for games talk back to their players. Unlike regular school settings, if the player does not make a move or a decision, nothing happens. A gamer must have the confidence to act. As one gamer begins to play out his role, another gamer across the world may be playing a different role and in order to succeed in the game, they must work together. As they advance, the game reacts and offers feedback with new problems to tackle. Gee states that “in a good game, words and deeds are all placed in the context of an interactive relationship between the player and the world” (Gee, 5).

In spite of the previous positive outcomes of learning through video games and gamification, Professor Reyes has some personal opinions based on the studies. He claims that, “oral communication has been the most effective way of learning since the beginning of time. Video games may make a dent in education, but will not overcome oral communication learning (Reyes).” Thus, oral communication will always trump whatever you can learn through a game. “How did you conduct this interview?” he asked, “You conducted it through a face to face interview, not through a video game. That is how you learned this information (Reyes).” Overall, the interview provided us with a great amount of insight as to how and why education through video games can be beneficial. Reyes also wanted to touch on the most important ideas of video games is that  they provide healthy ways to deal with frustration and failure, and also can be used as an alternative social environment. “Often times, if I have a question to ask one of my fellow professors, I will log onto my gaming device, find their gamer ID and send them a message.”