The Thrill of the Chase?

Mark Gash wonders whether gamification has made e-learning less about the pursuit of knowledge and more about the pursuit of rewards.

Back when I were a lad… yes it’s one of those articles. This time, I’m examining video games and exploring an annoying modern trend that seems to have been adopted by e-learning without much thought, as I attempt to define the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

By today’s standards, I am not a gamer. I grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Megadrive, Tomb Raider on Playstation, Pokemon on Gameboy and Ninja Turtles in the local arcade. I’ve never crafted a mine, been called for duty, nor been bestowed with the title of God of War. And I’ve definitely never crushed any candy. Candy Crush, in my opinion, was the tipping point for games. It opened them up to the masses, using a system that was easy to learn, hard to master and filled with hollow reward for those willing to put in the time, effort and cash to progress through the stages. I once caught my mother-in-law, who has never picked up a game controller in her life, paying 79p to advance to the next level on Candy Crush on her phone.

Before this tipping point, people who played games enjoyed playing the game - they weren’t in it for the badge at the end. After hours of practice, it was the thrill of finally learning how to make Lara Croft leap across the chasm without falling to her death. Playing games was about the challenge, the discovery, the mastery of a new skill. Now, it feels like we’re just running on a treadmill, waiting for the next loot box to drop, the next cosmetic skin to unlock, or the next achievement notification to ping.

Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is the pure, unadulterated joy of the activity itself. It’s the feeling of flow when you’re so engrossed in a game that you lose track of time. It’s the satisfaction of figuring out a complex puzzle or finally defeating that boss you’ve been grinding away at. The reward isn’t the shiny sword you get at the end; the reward is the act of playing the game, of mastering the challenge, of experiencing the story. You play because you want to, not because you have to.

Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is all about the external rewards. It’s the leaderboard ranking, the high score, the digital badge, and the certificate you can print out and pin to your wall. These are the carrots dangled at the end of the stick. They’re great for getting people started, but they can be a dangerous crutch. When the reward becomes the sole focus, the activity itself becomes a chore. You’re not playing the game for the joy of it; you’re playing it for the prize. You’re not learning for the sake of knowledge; you’re learning for the certificate. Or worse, just to get to the end.

In many modern games, the “fun” part - the actual gameplay - is often a repetitive, grindy loop designed to get you to the next unlock. The core experience is devalued in favour of the dopamine hit of a new acquisition. As a player, you’re no longer the hero hedgehog; you’re the mouse in the Skinner box, pushing a button for a pellet.

So what’s this got to do with e-learning?

In a word: Gamification. The clunky phrase every course developer uses to sell their skills to a client. When used properly, gamification of e-learning is a fantastic approach, but it’s often a case of putting the cart before the horse. We see e-learning modules laden with points, badges, and leaderboards. And for a while, it works. The learner is motivated to click through the slides, answer the quizzes, and “win” the course. But this is classic extrinsic motivation - learners are chasing the badge, not the knowledge.

But what happens when the badges run out? What happens when the extrinsic rewards lose their novelty? The learner, who has been conditioned to learn for the prize, now finds the activity itself to be a dry, unrewarding slog. The moment they get that final tick box or certificate, the learning stops. There’s no intrinsic love for the subject matter, no enduring curiosity. It was just a transaction.

The goal of effective e-learning - the kind that truly sticks - should be to cultivate intrinsic motivation. The learning experience itself should be the reward. The “game” of e-learning should be so engaging, so relevant, and so well-designed, that the learner forgets they’re even “learning.”

We need to design experiences where the challenge is the reward and the learner feels a sense of accomplishment from solving a problem, not from getting a good score.

Create learning where discovery is the prize, where the learner is driven by curiosity, by the desire to uncover new information or master a new skill.

And build journeys where relevance is the win, so the learner sees a direct, immediate benefit to their life or work from the knowledge they’re acquiring: that in itself is the greatest reward.

So, let’s stop Candy-Crushing our courses and making learners push a button for a pellet. Instead, how about we start designing experiences where the journey is the destination, where the game is the prize, and where the penny-drop moment of learning clicking in the brain is more valuable than any digital badge. Real winners know that e-learning isn’t about how many rings, coins or certificates you get at the end; it’s the knowledge you keep long after the course is over.

Up, Down, Left, Right, A + Start. IYKYK.

Mark Gash Writer. Designer. AI Image Prompter. Connect with him here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markgash/