People often mess up the usage of these terms in a sentence and believe they mean the same thing, but in reality, they work internally, and they have their own personalities, which does not need people to be confused. While gamification is primarily designed for learners who want to have a clear track of their activities, improvements, and personalised pathway.

Game-based learning solutions are the start of an activity where learners can participate in a virtual game for a real-life understanding of the topic. 

What are gamification services?

Gamification does not include any real games, but the motivating and entertaining features of them. The process is designed to motivate learners and keep track of their activity with game-like elements such as points, badges, and progress bars. 

What are game based learning solutions?

This method includes actual games in class and not just elements. The approach includes features that can accommodate the whole class in an activity to teach one chapter; for example, in a history class, a teacher can create a play to re-create the whole chapter, different students can take up roles, and at the end, the teacher can explain the significance of this chapter.  

The difference between these two

The difference between designing

• Gamification services are created for motivating employees with better scores and improvement bars.

• While game-based learning solutions are being used in schools to make learning a fun and engaging experience for students, instructors have the expertise. 

The difference between elements 

• Gamification services primarily use elements that normal games use, such as points, badges, progress bars, and many attributes that games show.

• Game-based learning solutions are the real game that learners can play among themselves. 

The difference between goals

• Gamified learning is integrated into the corporation to encourage learners to achieve goals and motivate the workforce. 

• Game-based learning is scheduled in classes for better retention of the topic in a way that entertains the class. 

The difference between integration

• Gamification services are comparatively easier for companies to integrate into previous training modules for continuous learning. 

• Game based learning solutions are harder to adapt in organisations because they need communal agreements.

The examples of both

• Gamification services can be experienced through Duolingo, Kahoot!, Classcraft, and Khan Academy. 

• Minecraft Education, SimCityEDU, DragonBox, and Pedagogy Maths exemplify game-based learning solutions. 

What professions need game-like learning?

At one point, every profession shows the need for game-based learning because a job requires people to perform repetitive tasks or is mentally demanding for employees. In this environment, participants may feel exhausted and burned out. 

• Instructors and educators

They need gamification services to encourage students to do better and motivate them with rewards and better scores than their peers. 

Game-based learning helps instructors build a strong memory for the topic, and games integrate moral values in learners as they play.

• Healthcare trainers

The learners can play scenario-based games where they can learn to handle patients, diagnose, and provide surgical guidance. After that, with the help of gamification services, students can be rewarded on the basis of their performance and activity. 

• Corporate trainer

The corporate training starts from the moment employees join the organisation, including first onboarding, compliance training, skill development, and, once the employee is promoted, the leadership training. Throughout this journey, gamification services and game based learning solutions are used, respectively.  

• Therapist and rehabilitation

Patients are actively engaged in virtual games and exercises that focus on self-improvement, such as playing games with avatars, and their real progress is displayed on the gamification platform. Therapists can see the improvements and setbacks and continue treatment accordingly.

• For programmers

Developers start with game-based learning solutions in which the user is a fictional character in a virtual world that attacks, survives, and wins, but all of these projects require coding in languages like Python and JavaScript. The gamification services add elements like streaks, experience points, and certificates of achievement. 

• Other examples

Apart from the above-discussed professionals, there are job roles that require the same technology for similar tasks but in different industries and with different expectations. Such as military, aviation, marketing programs, and social workers.  

Key Takeaways

• Gamification services are the most accepted tool in the modern education system.

• Military training in most of the countries has made simulations a crucial part.  

• Game-based learning solutions can be manipulative and guilt-trip learners into thinking they are underperforming. 

Final Thought

Corporate training has been a part of a burned-out culture for a very long time, and to break the cycle, the introduction of elements that provide learners with relief and motivation was crucial. Gamification services have stepped up as a contradiction, but things were confusing for most users because they interchanged this with game based learning solutions. With this knowledge, everyone will be able to distinguish between the two and choose a suitable method for their learning journey.