Game Mechanic: Envy
Envy, while almost universally regarded as negative, is included in practically every known social system. It’s a very natural emotion and, when properly managed, can be a strong motivator. Social scientists differentiate envy from ‘jealousy’ associating it with feelings of inferiority, longing, resentment, and a desire for ‘Schadenfreude’ (garnering pleasure from another person’s downfall). If you’ve seen my post on Bartle’s Taxonomy and what players find “fun”, Envy would strongly motivate Killer types and to a lesser degree Socializers and Explorers.
Here’s the chart again in case you’re interested.
Designing for envy in a way that motivates students instead of discouraging them relates to my post on designing challenge instead of punishment. As a teacher, you have to maintain a level of equality...except the definition of envy is inequality. So how do we do that?
Questions to consider:
1) How are you currently using envy to motivate students? There are a lot of popular tactics passed around to utilize envy. Perhaps you’ve given out stickers or treats when students do well. Maybe you call on random students to be the class helper or to perform a unique job for the day. Competitions are grounds to leave the losing students feeling envious as well. Build off of systems you already have and see where they go.
2) Do students have easy access to see information about other students? Obviously FERPA laws prevent access to grades and I would argue that seeing another’s grades demotivates rather than motivates. But envy requires something to be envious of. Achievements, awards, badges, online avatar gear, stickers, etc...and in addition these possessions need to be somewhat public or accessible either online or displayed in the classroom.
3) What creative ways can you devise to leverage envy without making students dislike each other? This is where management comes in. Fundamentally, you’ll need to bestow rewards in a manner that is fair, accessible, and clear to every student so that they know how to achieve it as well. Also consider creating challenges that are only attainable through teamwork, which can counteract hostility and cement bonds. If one team tends to dominate, then mix them up. Rewarding students periodically based on luck or random lottery can also balance the feeling of inequality. Managing envy will be a constant practice and will change from class to class.
4) Have you taken into consideration the social implications of making players too envious of one another? Depending on your group of students, they might be more prone to envy than other groups. Too much envy can cause hostility between students/teams, cause lower-achieving students to give up, or create a negative class culture. It will be up to you to decide how many elements of envy you think your class can handle and monitor when they can use more or less. As teachers, I think it’s also developmentally valuable to teach students how to deal with envy and inequality in an age appropriate way. However, keep in mind your population of students.
5) Do you give players something special or unique that would motivate other players to earn or find it? You can find/make some amazing ARG’s based on this. One student randomly stumbles across an object/piece of information that creates mystery. All of a sudden a Gold Rush happens where everyone is on it. One teacher had an idea of creating special cards or mini-scrolls, and hiding them in textbooks or in the classroom periodically over the year. Students who collect a certain number of them and solve the riddle earn a special bonus.
I’ve also seen special rewards through competition and systems like Classcraft have online gear/pets that students unlock as they level up.
Hopefully, that provided some ideas on creating/managing envy in a gamified classroom. Kudos to anyone who recognizes what the reflection in the eye up top is! But let me know... In what ways do you create envy in your room?