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Overcooked 2 in ESL

2025-06-10 02:10:13 UTC

I've used Overcooked 2 in my college ESL lessons to encourage students to use English more spontaneously and casually. Japan's approach to learning English is rather rigid, where accuracy is oftentimes valued over communication and expression. This results in students being hesitant to use the language freely in fear of making mistakes or embarrassing themselves. Thanks to Overcooked 2, my students were able to relax, break down their walls, and use the simple English words and phrases needed to play the game smoothly with each other. The collaborative aspect of the game also encouraged them to help and support each other in completing the challenges. I would definitely recommend using multiplayer games like Overcooked 2 in ESL settings!

Didy

DuoLingo

2025-06-10 02:31:37 UTC

DuoLingo is probably the best example of gamified learning that I have tried. I generally enjoyed the experience because it took place in small chunks and maintaining your streaks was initially a good way to encourage daily practice. I also liked that it rewarded you for not making a mistake in a day and that there were other mini challenges to complete. I don't use it much anymore because the desire to maintain my daily streak waned and I also found that I was really only gaining vocabulary rather than conversational skills. Still, I think this is a very good example of gamified learning done well and if I had a pressing need to learn a new language I would certainly sue Duolingo again.

-Ken

Septris

2025-06-10 03:45:50 UTC

https://storage.googleapis.com/septris-games/septris2/en-us/index.html

Septris walks the line between simulation and GBL, but I believe it leans towards the GBL side. There isn't a leaderboard or points, but its entire presentation, interface, and tone would cause me to describe it as gamified simulation. It is a game developed by Stanford University to train healthcare professional on the identification and treatment of sepsis. Players manage 10 patients, each with increasingly severe symptoms, and each patient must be prioritized and managed according to best practices. This leads to a lot of juggling, and decisiveness required on the part of the player - not dissimilar to the chaos of a something like overcooked 2.

I'm not a doctor, and thus have not learned much from septris. But I chose it because it "gamify's" very effectively. It takes incredibly complex clinical decision making scenarios and delivers training on them in an engaging way, without any sacrifice to the content. Try it out! Its really difficult, I feel bad for my patients.

Duncan

Gimkit

2025-06-11 21:54:47 UTC

I have used Gimkit in my junior high social studies classes. I like the different approach it takes rather than relying on a quiz-style review, students are required to answer questions that are created by the teacher to obtain tools or items needed to accomplish various goals within a game. Like other game-based learning platforms, teachers can also share questions, so you very often can access existing questions and save time by using them. The games range from capture the flag to fishing. There are a selection of free games that you can play and there are others that require a subscription. Overall, it is a really engaging way to review or introduce concepts. Like any sort of digital learning tool, it is not perfect. As often happens with these types of digital games, I do find that students find ways to rush mindlessly through answering questions and their attention focuses more on the game itself rather than the learning goals.

- Mark

Classcraft

2025-06-14 18:13:24 UTC

I am sad. Classcraft is no longer. The successful Canadian designed platform -- beloved by its users -- has been terminated after being purchased by a the larger technology company, HMH.

A friend of mine and a fellow teacher used this for platform for years -- since being a part of its beta testing. He enjoyed its help with effective classroom management -- fostering collaboration and empathy within his classroom community by rewarding positive contributions and participation in an engaging and fun way. I had been a part of the beta testing myself, but just never took time to meaningfully implementing it in my planning or routines.

I am a little sad it's gone. I hope something like it comes back.

Prodigy

2025-06-15 22:58:44 UTC

Prodigy is a quest-based RPG game that is set in a fantasy world. It blends gaming with learning by integrating curriculum-aligned math practice into the game. Students create a character and must explore the fantasy world, defeat monsters, and complete quests all by solving math problems. I have used this with my Math 8 students before and found that it greatly increased student motivation both intrinsically and extrinsically. My students used to dread doing more math practice worksheets, but now some students are begging to have more time on Prodigy. Personally, I found that using game-based learning in my classroom helped some of my less academically gifted students be more motivated and remember more of the knowledge they learned. One of the downsides to Prodigy is that it currently only supports math curriculum up to Grade 8. It may be possible that they will update this in the future, but with the nature of the game, it may be difficult to integrate more complex questions into the game.

- Tim

Math Zorbit's Adventure

2025-06-16 02:56:42 UTC

This game is similar to Prodigy in the sense that students take on a character and then they participate in a role-playing game. It's a little bit different than Prodigy in the sense that the questions are more geared towards conceptual understanding as opposed to the skill and drill questions in Prodigy. I think there is a place for both types of questions and games! My students really enjoy playing this game! -Anna