Gaming and Gamification- Let the Games Begin!

What kid doesn't like games? Right? In fact, don't a lot of adults like games?  Educators are always trying to find that perfect mix.  How do we get children motivated to learn?   Many believe that games can be the solution.
Michael Brit gave a podcast of Gamification.    He gave several reasons that games can be good for children.
Here are some of the positive characteristics of Gamification:

• Feedback – they have that with the gauge but it’s not instant feedback
• Goals – try to get this (efficiency) score. You win!!
• Rewards or points: – give drivers badges or of course discounts
• Levels: if/when they reach a certain accomplishment (number of points or badges) the driver levels-up (use normal distribution
• Conflict/Competition/Challenge – “drivers of this truck typically get X score” See if you can get Y score”
• Real-time competition: use geolocation 
• Leaderboards: see where you fit among others (kind of feedback)

But Some people just aren't buying it.  They say that it is insulting, silly and manipulative.

I teach young children.  As long as I have been teaching we have used games to reinforce concepts.  Bingo is used for things like math, reading, and many other subjects.  We are always trying to find ways to motivate children to practice what they know and keep learning.  Why not use games?  Children love games and they can be a great motivation to learn.  I work in a summer camp during the summers.  I bring along my iPad for the early birds(kids dropped of early) to use.  I am surprised to see these children really enjoying a lot of my educational apps.  I am watching children practice their states and capitals then switch to practicing their multiplication facts.  I remember trying to get my own boys to do "work" during the summer only to be told "No" or complaining that they didn't want to work on their vacation. The difference is that these kids want to play these games and can actually learn.  It doesn't replace completely the learning or teaching process but games can be a great motivator for many children.
Some games can be really motivating for children.  In the young grades, games that reinforce learning (stack the states, math bingo..) and inspire children to create (puppet pals, toontastic) can be great in the elementary classroom.  But online games that allow children to "talk" to others around the world make me a little more worried and cautious.  How do we know that these people are actually children?  Do they hold the same values that we are trying to teach our students?
My own teenage boys tell me that if used wrong(games), people can be "banded" from these games- not allowed to continue playing.  In fact my own son was banded from a game for saying "Free Tibet"in a statement.  He laughs about it, but as a parent, I worry about what they may be exposed to.  You can't undo something in their mind that they have already read.
Games like Mindcraft really attracts a lot of young people.  Using these games for educational purposes can be very attractive. But as longs kids are communicating with people that I don't know then I have to still be hesitant to use it. 
Teaching young children we tend to use games that reinforce things that we have been teaching. But watching the Jane McGonigal I have seen that gaming with older children using online gaming can be educational in it's own way too.

I am not a big fan of games like world of Warcraft.  I have two teenage boys.  One boy can care less for online games and the other loves them.  I have watched my youngest son play with people across the country.  He has made friends in different states that he has never met.  I as a parent am always a little nervous about my son talking to people I don't know.  These games have really developed his love for computers.  I hear about things that I never knew existed.  I am still trying to figure out what he means when he says that he and his friends are developing different mods for one of his games so that they can play together.

Now if we can take this idea of online gaming and use it to our advantage for learning, I believe we can reach children that we would have missed with traditional methods of teaching.
I watch my youngest son, knowing how much he dislikes school and wonder- can games like these motivate him to learn?  Could he be enjoying school instead of hating it so much?
It takes a special teacher to be able to use these games for educational purposes in the correct way. Where learning and motivation go hand in hand.