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Game-based learning is a technique that leverages games to enhance student learning. Game-based learning makes education more interactive by allowing students to interact with each other in real time or within simulated learning scenarios. Their interactions foster critical thinking and focus on challenges related to problem-solving, relationship-building, or knowledge acquisition.
Games
Do you want to learn more about our games, or are you looking for inspiration? Visit the pages below for detailed information, practical tips, teaching activities and learning materials for each game.
Welcome to the community!
Through this community of educators, launched by ErasmusX, we spread curiosity, interest, action, and collaborations around Game-Based Learning (GBL) practices in education. So far, the GBL members produced great projects in the fields of law, management, psychology, and more. These exchanges between the members of GBL feed the community with case studies and unlock new possibilities for collaboration within and beyond the EUR, further revolutionizing the way students experience education.
• To help students learn in new, innovative ways.
• To enhance students’ learning experiences and increase their enjoyment and excitement.
• To create an experience tailored to the needs of the students through various collaborations.
• The Class Foundation granted this project the Best Campus Development Award in 2021 University Rotterdam.
• We created the EUR Minecraft Campus during the 2020 pandemic.
• We launched the ESL Legal Tech course Escaperooms.
• We innovated the Hybrid Learning experience.
• We conducted research with 800 students from RSM that used the Deal Hero game in class. According to them, the Deal Hero game was more engaging than their typical learning experiences, valued its interactive aspects, and specified features to enhance the learning process.
• We facilitated the development of ESHCC students’ own serious game, while also gamifying the course itself.
Q&A about Game-Based Learning
Game-based learning and gamification are two strategies often used in educational contexts to make learning more interactive and enhance learning experiences, but they differ in their principles and application. In short, game-based learning involves actual learning through playing games, while gamification enriches existing learning processes with motivating game elements.
- Definition: GBL involves using complete games specifically designed for educational purposes to teach certain skills or knowledge. These games are designed to provide an immersive and interactive learning experience across different educational environments.
- Objective: The primary goal of GBL is to engage students in the learning process through an engaging, interactive learning environment and experiential learning, which fosters deeper understanding and retention of the material.
- Application: In GBL, students directly engage with the game content, navigating scenarios that require critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. Examples include a simulation game where students manage a virtual economy to understand economic principles or a strategy game where they learn about historical events and their impact.
- Definition: Gamification refers to the integration of game-design elements, such as points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges, into non-game contexts to enhance user engagement and motivation.
- Objective: The main goal of gamification is to increase participation, motivation, and engagement, especially in routine tasks, by making non-game activities more enjoyable and rewarding through game-like incentives.
- Application: In education, gamification can be applied by integrating game mechanics into the curriculum, such as awarding points for completing assignments, creating leaderboards to encourage healthy competition, or providing badges for achieving specific milestones.
More about our game enthusiasts
Several CLI Fellows, lecturers and professors of Erasmus University Rotterdam, and other experts have engaged in projects related to 'Gamification' or 'Game-Based Learning'.
ir. S (Shen) Liu, MScProjectmanager (CLI)
Shen has a background in Design Thinking and Industrial Design Engineering. This led him to being the projectmanager of many gamification and game-based learning projects at the EUR.
prof.dr. S (Sandra) van ThielProfessor (ESSB)
Sandra used her lifelong expertise to create a game about the tendering process in the Netherlands. This game has been played since 2015 by many students and is a proven concept that adds value in the classroom.
dr. AR (Ana) VasquesSenior Lecturer (EUC)
Ana was one of the first fellows at the CLI and is always committed to her students and their personal growth. That's why she has created Fireflies, a game for students to deal with difficult dilemmas and their emotions.
Game-Based Learning Community by ErasmusX
Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From Game Design Elements to Gamefulness: Defining ""Gamification"". Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, 9-15. DOI: 10.1145/2181037.2181040
Camacho-Lazarraga, P., Guerrero, M. A., Guerrero-Puerta, L., Aguilar-Parra, J. M., Trigueros, R., & Alias, A. (2021). Between Level Up and Game Over: A Systematic Literature Review of Gamification in Education. Sustainability, 13(4), 2247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042247