CHECK THESE WORDS!
buzzword (n): a term popular at a certain time
e.g. In business, popular buzzwords such as 'touch base' and 'do lunch' are often used to arrange meetings.
sth rolls off the tongue (idm): sth is very easy to say
e.g. The catchy name of the product rolls off the tongue; it's so easy to say!
menial (adj): (of a task) that does not require skills
e.g. Larry often helps his mother with the household chores and other menial work.
mundane (adj): very common and uninteresting
e.g. Karen finds ironing and other mundane tasks rather uninteresting and boring.
harness (v): to make use of sth
e.g. Gamification harnesses the entertaining qualities of games and uses them in a different context.
gratification (n): satisfaction; pleasure
e.g. Computer games offer instant gratification and excitement to players.
be attuned to sth (phr): to be receptive and responsive to sth
e.g. Teenagers nowadays are naturally attuned to playing video games; they take to them very easily.
implication (n): a consequence
e.g. Virtual reality technology has lots of impressive real-world implications in education, health and professional training.
galvanise (v): to shock or stimulate sb to take action
e.g. The competitive element of the quiz galvanised students, making them want to study even more.
Der.: galvanisation (n), galvanic (adj)
immerse oneself in sth (phr): to become deeply involved in sth
e.g. When Ellen plays, she immerses herself totally in the music; nothing else matters.
shed (v): to let go of sth
e.g. Group work helps students shed their unwillingness to participate in class, as they learn to let go of their shyness.
reluctance (n): unwillingness to do sth
e.g. Brenda's reluctance to speak Spanish faded the more she tried talking to people on holiday.
compelling (adj): very exciting
e.g. The compelling nature of the game keeps fans hooked throughout the match.
law-abiding (adj): obedient to the law
e.g. Sally is a law-abiding citizen who would never litter; she knows it’s an offence.
fittingly (adv): in an appropriate way
e.g. Rather fittingly, the vandals were made to clean up their own graffiti by the police.
profound (adj): significant
e.g. Technology can help in profound areas of health, such as cancer treatment and diagnosis.
Der.: profundity (n)
self-improvement (n): an effort to make yourself a better person
e.g. Alison does yoga as a method of self-improvement and personal development.
MORE VOCABULARY
reform (v): to transform
e.g. Interactive e-books are set to reform learning techniques in entirely new ways.
provoke (v): to elicit
e.g. The strong words Vince said provoked an angry reaction from Mary.
Der.: provocation (n), provocative (adj)
hail (v): to praise
e.g. The wireless device was hailed as the best new piece of innovative technology on the market.
persist (with sth) (v): to continue
e.g. Bob decided to persist with his studies despite the difficulties that he had at first.
Der.: persistent (adj), persistence (n)
radical (adj): drastic
e.g. Automation has brought about radical changes in the global workforce, drastically transforming the working environment.
Der.: radicalise (v), radicalism (n)
dread (v): to fear
e.g. Samantha dreads the thought of changing schools, fearing that she will lose contact with her old friends.
Der.: dreadful (adj)
venture (n): undertaking
e.g. The new venture by the government saw a rapid decrease in road accidents.
Der.: venturesome (adj)
urge sb on (phr v): to encourage sb
e.g. Apps on smartphones use gamification as a fun way to urge users on while they are learning.
account (for sth) (v): to explain (sth)
e.g. The fact that Mark uses public transport to get to work accounts for the fact that he is sometimes late in the mornings.
Der.: accountable (adj), accountant (n), accountancy (n)
trait (n): a characteristic
e.g. Some behavioural traits, such as tardiness, can be difficult to get rid of.
receptive (to sth) (adj): open (to sth)
e.g. Andrew is very receptive to change and readily accepts new ideas.
Der.: receptiveness (n)
Opp.: unreceptiveBuzzwords come and go, but there’s one at the moment that’s taking the world by storm and looks set to stay. This word, which rolls off the tongue as well as it reads on the page, not only describes a process but a whole approach and mentality, while simultaneously conjuring up images in the mind of fun and excitement. That word is ‘gamification’ and it’s set to reform culture, business and education!
So what is it and how does it work? Put simply, it is the application of game-design principles in non-game contexts. In other words, gamification is engagement: a transformation, where any task, no matter how menial or mundane, can become interesting and motivational. By harnessing the entertaining qualities of games, gamification technology enables business, educators or coaches to interact with their audiences in highly relevant new ways. Indeed, in the modern world, people demand things that provoke a reaction and offer instant gratification and fulfilment, and the millennial generation especially is more attuned to games than any other. Some experts have hailed gamification as the next level of human-technological interaction, and with impressive real-world implications in numerous areas of life such as work, health and self-improvement, it’s easy to understand why.
The real beauty of gamification and its mechanics lies in its simplicity. By offering rewards for performance such as points, badges and coins, users can progress through levels and track themselves on leaderboards. This competitive element galvanises and encourages people to persist with things they are struggling with and immerse themselves in the chosen activity, be it learning a new language or improving productivity in the workplace.
A very real benefit of gamification is its huge positive impact on behaviour and its ability to offer radical solutions to cultural, social and economic problems, by helping us shed our reluctance to do things that we might otherwise dislike or dread. For example, companies such as Recyclebank use compelling and interesting gamified systems to encourage people to recycle more and engage in green activities. In Sweden, gamification elements have been tested to make people more law-abiding citizens. The Speed Camera Lottery concept encourages people to follow the speed limit by taking pictures of the people NOT speeding and entering them into a special competition. Winners would receive a cash prize, that rather fittingly, would come from the money generated from the fines of those caught speeding! When tested in Stockholm, the new venture saw a twenty-two percent reduction in speeding within the first week alone! This example shows how game thinking provides very real and measurable change.
And it’s not just social and ecological issues. Gamification has opened new doors for improvements in the areas of health, fitness and overall well-being. You are likely familiar with the numerous apps on the market for smartphones and smartwatches that urge us on with rewards for setting, reaching and breaking personal fitness and exercise targets. However, the mechanism also accounts for change in much more serious and profound areas of health than your next morning jog. Gamification has been shown to also help patients with serious illnesses manage their medication and treatments, through rewards, progress reports and positive feedback, while also improving their emotional states and behavioural traits, which is crucial in their fight against the illness.
That so many amazing and varied things can come about as the result of simple games is really quite extraordinary, and shows the remarkable power of gamification as a social tool. This unique ability could play a major part in making us receptive to important changes within ourselves, society and the planet as a whole. Tolstoy famously said that ‘everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’ Perhaps gamification, with its emphasis on self-improvement, gives us the opportunity to do both, at once!
3 Read the Study Skills box. Replace the words/phrases underlined in bold in the text with synonymous ones.
Finding Synonyms
Work out the meaning of the word to be replaced by looking at the context in which it is used in the sentence (many words have different meanings depending on the context of use). Then, think of other words with the same meaning and try each word in the sentence. Choose the one closest in meaning. There may be more than one possible correct answer.
4 a) Read the tip in the box. Look at the first paragraph and, in pairs, discuss what the main idea of the paragraph is.
Summarising a text
When summarising a text, you must read the whole text to gain a general understanding, then underline the main idea in each paragraph, ignoring any unnecessary information. Once you have determined the main ideas, write your summary by paraphrasing the information. Do not include any ideas/opinions which are not contained in the text.
b) In pairs, find the main idea of each paragraph and write a sentence paraphrasing it. Use the Help button for reference.
c) Summarise in no more than 150 words what gamification is and how it has impacted society, as described in the text. Alternatively, complete the summary with the words below.
- choices
- challenging
- elements
- gratification
- widespread
- tedious
- motivate
- diverse
- Clearly
- otherwise
- track
- concept
- mindset
- entertaining
- encourages
Gamification is the application of 1) from games, for example competitiveness and point-scoring, to other activities in order to 2) people to succeed at them. It suits the contemporary 3) that seeks instant 4) and seems to work because of its simplicity. By offering rewards along with a way for people to 5) their progress through levels, gamification helps people reach 6) goals. This has affected 7) areas of society including education, law enforcement and health. For instance, giving people points and rewards 8) them to do activities they would 9) avoid, such as recycling and making green lifestyle 10) , driving at the speed limit, or persisting in learning a language. 11) , gamification allows 12) or difficult tasks to become fun and 13) , and because of this can be a powerful tool for social and personal change. It is a 14) that will only become more 15) in the future.
Vocabulary Focus
5 Read the text again. Fill in the missing words.
- 1 come and (para 1)
- 2 take the world by (para 1)
- 3 conjure images in the mind (para 1)
- 4 the beauty of (sth) (para 3)
- 5 open doors (para 5)
Text Analysis
6 In your own words, answer the questions below based on the text. Listen to a model answer.
CLICK FOR THE LISTENING: https://packages.expressdigibooks.com/epub3/OnScreenC2StudentsBook/OPS/audio/p61_ex6_extra_audios_onscreenc2ss.mp3
1 Why is gamification effective?
2 What are some of its outcomes?
3 Why does the author refer to gamification as a ‘social tool’?
Text Analysis
7 
ICT How would you gamify your workplace/classroom/a product? Do some research and discuss with your partner. Listen to a model answer. Then click on the icon for a video activity.
Listening & Speaking
Listen and read the text. In groups, debate whether or not the benefits of gamification that are documented in the text are overstated.
Writing
Gamification makes the world better. Do you agree with this statement? Why/Why not? Write an essay stating your opinion, giving reasons.
4C) KEY
Gamification is the application of 1) elements from games, for example competitiveness and point-scoring, to other activities in order to 2) motivate people to succeed at them. It suits the contemporary 3) mindset that seeks instant 4) gratification and seems to work because of its simplicity. By offering rewards along with a way for people to 5) track their progress through levels, gamification helps people reach 6) challenging goals. This has affected 7) diverse areas of society including education, law enforcement and health. For instance, giving people points and rewards 8) encourages them to do activities they would 9) otherwise avoid, such as recycling and making green lifestyle 10) choices, driving at the speed limit, or persisting in learning a language. 11) Clearly, gamification allows 12) tedious or difficult tasks to become fun and 13) entertaining, and because of this can be a powerful tool for social and personal change. It is a 14) concept that will only become more 15) widespread in the future.
- 1 come and go (para 1)
- 2 take the world by storm (para 1)
- 3 conjure up images in the mind (para 1)
- 4 the real beauty of (sth) (para 3)
- 5 open new doors (para 5)
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