Games and game-like elements have been used for thousands of years to teach, entertain, and engage. There are classic game elements like points, badgers, leadership, and timers. Some examples of game elements that can be used to engage and motivate learners to include:
- Narrative
- Immediate feedback
- Fun
- “Scaffolded learning” with challenges that increase
- Mastery (for example, in the form of leveling up)
- Progress indicators (for example, through points/badges/leaderboards, also called PBLs)
- Social connection
- Player control.