Book Review: The Multiplayer Classroom

Recently, I finished reading The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game* by Lee Sheldon. In this book, Sheldon shares his experiences of gamifying his classroom. Having been a game designer, Sheldon set out to test whether game mechanics could positively influence the classroom. This book details the lessons he learned and the processes he explored. In the book, he criticizes current education methods and highlights strategies for learning that he picked up as a game designer. I like what he has to say.

Learning Through Mistakes

Sheldon opens by comparing how games and classes handle mistakes. Players can retry challenges until they succeed. In contrast, schools often give students one attempt and permanently record the result. Because gamer can explore different strategies, gamers are willing to take risks because the consequences are insignificant. They spend more time trying to negotiate problems. Games also have an element of fun. Children naturally play until they enter the education system. Then, the education system removes the fun and challenges children to act like adults. Education takes what is natural and forces participants to conform to a particular mold. The education system applies standardization to everything. We even have standardized tests. Where is the creativity?

Turning Coursework Into Quests

Sheldon has turned his classroom experience into a game. He begins by adjusting the terminology used in the class. Game terminology helps create the correct atmosphere, such as defeating monsters (quizzes), crafting goods (writing papers), and completing quests (assignments). Students take on gaming roles, create avatars, and join guilds to negotiate the monsters and quests. As students progress through the quests, they earn rewards, achievements, and experience points. With experience points, “gamers” advance through levels. Each level becomes increasingly challenging. Throughout the process, student experiences are being positively reinforced. As Sheldon points out, everyone starts with an “F” unless they complete enough quests. From that point, gamers play their way to an “A.”

This book has several case studies where other teachers and professors explain how they are using Sheldon’s strategies with success. In these case studies, several great ideas appear, and teachers can quickly adapt them for any classroom. Sheldon does a great job of presenting his syllabi and explaining why he made certain curriculum decisions.

Results and Instructor Workload

Sheldon and the other instructors note two important benefits from this change in instruction: students are completing more work than in traditional classes, and students demonstrated increased quality because they could choose quests where they were proficient. To achieve this success in the classroom, instructors will have to put in more effort because there are more products to be graded and more products to be created. Educators must create enough repeatable assignments and rewards to replicate the feeling in an online role-playing game.

My Recommendation

If you have read about gamification and are looking for ideas for implementing a game-based strategy for your class, I would recommend reading this book. It is a quick read with a myriad of ideas. But understand, this is not about using games in the classroom. It is about turning your classroom into a game.

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References

Sheldon, L. (2011). The multiplayer classroom: Designing coursework as a game. Boston Mass.: Course Technology Cengage Learning.

Additional Reading

• Book Review: SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully
• Book Review: A Theory of Fun for Game Design
• Book Review: The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education
• Book Review: Game Frame: Using Games as Strategy for Success
• Book Review: Play to Learn: Everything You Need to Know About Designing Effective Learning Games
• #Astd2013, Interactivity, Games, and Gamification: A Research-Based Approach to Engaging Learners Through Games With @kkapp
• Book Review: Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World
• Book Review: Level Up Your Life

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