Back in my body, or, heuristics for embodied gameful course design

Abstract

This article examines a case study of a video game based course relying on embodied gameful design as the foundation of its game-based pedagogy. Moving away from some of the more superficial means of gamifying (or, incorporating game based elements into) the classroom, this piece looks specifically at how composition instructors can integrate some of the more habitual and material elements of playing video games into the larger course design to further benefit student learning outcomes. Culminating in the creation of a set of heuristics referred to as The 4 R's (repetition, recognition, relation, and reward), the article ultimately argues for a process of course gamification that relies on Jane McGonigal's (2010) conceptions of gameful design. More specifically, the piece illustrates that the material habituations that occur through gameplay can be translated to the physical classroom in ways that help students achieve their personal and professional learning goals through the practice of embodied gameful course design.