The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game

by Lee Sheldon

Discover how to engage your students and raise their grades and attendance in your classroom. THE MULTIPLAYER CLASSROOM: DESIGNING COURSEWORK AS A GAME is your detailed guide to designing any structured learning experience as a game. Written for professional educators or those learning to be educators, here are the tools to engage and excite students by using principles learned in the development of popular video games. Suitable for use in the classroom or the boardroom, the book features a reader-friendly style that introduces game concepts and vocabulary in a logical way. You don't need any experience making games or even playing games to use this book. Yet, you will learn how to create multiplayer games for any age on any subject. Bring your classroom into the 21st century!

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Games, Game Design, Design, Textbooks

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2011

Reviews

[Aaron Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my current education interests has been gamification in the education setting. I know that there are many beliefs about this topic, but I really believe that if done right the potential for this mode of teaching is unstoppable.

I have joined many online sites, chats, webinars, etc. pertaining to gamification and just keep falling in love with what people are doing. I am obsessed with this topic with about as much obsessionness(if even a word) as I am about going global in the classroom.

Many people have referenced this book and I finally broke down and bought the book to learn a little more.

This book pretty much takes us through the ups and downs of Lee Sheldon as he tries to figure out a way to gamify his college courses that he has taught. This is not a how to manual. I think that is what I liked best. There is no cookie cutter method to turning your classroom into a game mode atmosphere. Yes, certain things must be put into place, but at the end of the day the personality of the teacher, the students, the classroom, and the goals and objectives of learning will drive the game system.

I found the personal story and journey of Lee interwoven with other case studies to be beneficial. I learned new tricks and ideas as well as what not to do. I began to formulate my own opinions and ideas.

I have about 20 places tagged with sticky notes to mark important ideas about education and how to gamify my classroom.

Gamification is not for everyone. Nor does it work for every class or unit. However, if it does fit the bill, then students are going to love it. This book has me started on my own journey as begin to devise a unit right now using gamification. I am excited. I am hooked. What more do you want from a book than to walk away satisfied and hungry for more knowledge. Lee Sheldon has done just that.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as I was co-creating a gamified reading project for the freshman English classes at our high school. I liked the way it was laid out, with the author describing the evolution of his own class design process, interspersed with examples of other classes using multiplayer concepts. We rolled out our project earlier this week and it was fun to see the students' responses - from cautiously optimistic to highly motivated. A few were practically on their feet as they realized they would be competing with other classes to accumulate the highest number of points. And not one student asked about a prize!

Highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering gamifying any aspect of their classroom!

[James Swenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheldon describes, chronologically, the courses which he modeled after multiplayer online games. He provides the syllabi, and even the names of the students' avatars, from each course.

There's a lot of filler here; the book would be more useful if it were condensed into a paper, maybe of 10 or 12 pages.

[Tim Scholze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for any teacher interested in the gamification of his or her classroom. No other book has the practical advice or case studies than this book.

[Birk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Designing my own coursework was by far the most difficult task I've ever faced. At one point, I was so overwhelmed that I seriously considered dropping out of uni. The stress was unreal! Thankfully, the amazing team at Academized https://academized.com/write-my-cours... stepped in and saved the day. They not only helped me get through it but also made the whole process so much smoother. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without them

[Jessamin McSwain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good information and model for educators hoping to increase student engagement & participation, and combat boring, stale traditional methodologies on teaching, while still working within the confines of standardized curriculum.

[Carlo Lorini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talking about gamification it's an essential book to read, with plenty of examples and info.
It's inspiring.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Multiplayer Classroom is a helpful book that gives educators ideas on to treat their classroom as video game. The misconception before reading Lee Sheldon's book is that will help educators how to incorporate videos games into their curriculum. And while there is certainly ideas on to incorporate video games, Sheldon mentions that the ideas used in video games is what teachers and educators should get out of his book. Comparing video games to a classroom, the goal at the end of any objective is to progress from what they started. Many teachers tend to start students with the objective (an A) and see if they can keep that objective until the end of the course (pg 3, 2012). The Multiplayer Classroom follows the ideas that can be found in role-playing and Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft where Experience Points (XP) determines how much they are progressing in the classroom in lieu of letter grades. With XP in the classroom, students would need achieve a certain amount points given in each assignments to reach a level (or a grade level). Sheldon placed a copy of his syllabus labeling each objectives (assignments) on how each student can increase in level. Sheldon cleverly labeled his assignments and exams to incorporate a video game/multiplayer environment; fighting monsters are exams and quizzes, completing quests are presentations and research (pg 27, 2012). While The Multiplayer Classroom primarily discusses Lee Sheldon's idea on how to run a classroom game, the book also contains samples of cases of how other classrooms used gamification in their classroom. These cases show an objective look on how Lee Sheldon's work is effective when taught by other educators. These cases contain not only what benefited from the classroom but also what didn't work in their particular classroom.
Lee Sheldon's background further validates his credibility in writing this book. Sheldon was a game developer for many games for both console platforms (Xbox, Nintendo, and Sony) and games on Facebook. In total, he has written and designed over 20 different video games and Massive Multiplayer Online games.(vii, 2012). After his career in developing and designing, he continued his video game career in the academic field, teaching courses on video game design and screen writing at Indiana University in 2006. This is where Lee Sheldon began incorporating video game concepts and ideas in the classroom. While teaching, Sheldon contributed his ideas to other books until he wrote The Multiplayer Classroom in 2012. Currently, he is a professor and director of the Games and Simulation Arts and Science program at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York as well as a creative director for the MMO game Londontown and was a lead writer for the MMO game, Star Trek: The Infinite Space (viii, 2012).
Lee Sheldon's Multiplayer Classroom is an informative book for teachers or any educator that is looking for a paradigm shift in their classroom. Sheldon emphasizes that creating a multiplayer classroom is open to all grade levels and computers and software is not a necessity in the curriculum which the book clearly proves that they are a high priority. Sheldon vocalizes that teachers should treat their classroom as a video game; give students objectives in order to progress instead of regress. Let students know that is okay to fail as long as they learn from their mistakes and the teacher give them repetitive opportunities until they succeed to the next level. After reading this book, the message Lee Sheldon portrays in the Multiplayer Classroom is to remember that the purpose of education is to obtain knowledge regardless how long it takes to obtain said knowledge and not about characterizing students with a letter grade.

[Graham Herrli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one large case study that contains several smaller case studies within it. The large case study is a first-hand account by Professor Lee Sheldon of how he turned his rebranded his classroom as a game. Many of the smaller case studies are written by teachers who heard about Sheldon’s Multiplayer Classroom through a TED talk and decided to try turning their own classes into games.

Sheldon is a former professional TV writer, so the book is written in a more entertaining style than many other empirical non-fictional accounts.

The book says relatively little for its length. In the first half, Sheldon provides more information that I could possibly want about his class, including the names of each student’s avatar, the names of their project groups (“guilds”), and the names of the games they designed. The second half of the book is a perfunctory gloss-over of basic game design principles.

The Multiplayer Classroom would probably be a good resource for a teacher looking to turn a class into a game. It is of somewhat less value to anyone who has already read a few books on game design, although the concreteness of the case studies is refreshing when contrasted with the theory of other game design books.

Here are some things the book says:

*“A pervasive game is a game where the line between the game and reality blurs to the point where it is difficult to distinguish one from the other” (p. xvii).
*In a case study of an impoverished high school, restructuring assignments as quests for XP drastically raised student participation and competence (p. 56). In another case study, students viewed starting at the bottom and being required to level up “as more of a punishment, as if they had already failed” (p. 136). In most of the case studies, structuring grades as XP appears beneficial.
*Although subtracting participation points from a total and awarding a set percentage of a total per class are mathematically equivalent, incrementally giving points rather than subtracting them motivates students more (p. 58).
*Because extrinsic rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation, giving rewards for an undesired behavior and then removing them might be a way of getting rid of that behavior (p. 79).
*Offering a group bonus based on individual test scores may motivate students to study and to encourage their peers to study (p. 117).
*In one case study, students could earn XP, but that XP was not directly tied to their grades in the class. Instead, the XP is given to a group if everyone in a group writes down the learning goals (p. 198). Thus, the XP promoted social motivation to increase class participation, and may have indirectly improved grades.
*Giving students a choice of assignments may help to increase their engagement (p. 234). Doing so increases their autonomy, which Self-Determination Theory would suggest increases their motivation.
*In one case study, the teacher presented the test as a boss that is only moved beyond once all of the answers are correct and with hearts taken off incrementally for working in teams, requesting help, or referencing notes (p. 263).

[Patrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an effort to update and (hopefully) improve my college classes, I have lately been researching and implementing the flipped classroom approach and competency (specification) assessment. The next step seemed to be gamification; the use of game design and game elements in non-game context (like a classroom).

Sheldon's book is a description of his experience turning two or three of his "game design" courses into multi-player games. The overall impact seems to be better attendance and slightly higher grades - and more fun. That is, greater student engagement with the course and the material. This is good. The book also include cases studies, descriptions of other teachers who have gamified their classrooms. Some of these cases are actually better examples of gamifying a classroom because, I think, they were created by individuals who are teachers first (and not game designers, like Sheldon).

Overall, the book is inspirational and gave many good ideas. I'm gamifying one of my courses next term...

[Stan Skrabut · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game* by Lee Sheldon. In this book, Sheldon shares his experiences of gamifying his classroom. Having been a game designer, Sheldon set out to test whether or not game mechanics could positively influence the classroom. This book details the lessons he learned and the processes he explored. In the book, he criticizes current education methods and highlights strategies for learning that he picked up as a game designer. I like what he has to say. Read more

[Michael Sclafani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book serves as an interesting case study (with smaller studies) about his own classes. Unfortunately, given that those classes are all college level classes in game design, I often found that I could not translate his experience over to mine. Particularly because he had a group with already a good amount of buy-in (his students were predisposed to fantasy terms far more than mine)

Much of what he discussed seemed superficial (calling homework "mobs," or exams "boss fights"). While his course clearly had other gamified elements, I wish he spent more time discussing that.

Ultimately, in an ironic reversal of most education books, he focused too much on the practical application and not enough on theory.

That said, even if I was not able to directly apply his ideas to my classes, it did get me thinking about game design in ways I had not before. For that, it was worth reading.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am pretty much in love with this book. It did exactly what I wanted it to do:
- gave me reasoning for designing a class in a game that is rooted in research and popular theories
- gave several case studies for real life examples to compare/contrast/get awesome design tips
- gave a heads up on concerns when it comes to gamifying the classroom (and ways to overcome some of those concerns)
- prepared me for a future in trying it out myself by giving just enough to get started and several resources to look into while moving forward

This semester I have designed a capstone project for myself where I will study Gamification (and various other topics) in order to create a unit for a sixth grade class. I hate to think how in the dark I would be without Lee Sheldon and this fantastic read.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected a dry textbook and was pleasantly surprised. Sheldon's clear, friendly tone and his helpful definitions of gaming terms throughout the text made this a fun read. While I am not a gamer, I've had students who are, and I picked this up in hopes that I could find a way to motivate those for whom grades don't matter. The book contains helpful case histories and suggestions, and its resource suggestions should be helpful to those who want to try incorporating gaming into the classroom.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will help catalyze two years worth of ideas, notes, and small/medium classroom experiments into a full-fledged roll-out of Seeker as the framework for my SOPHS and HNRS SOPHS classes this year. Students--Seekers--will level up companion characters like Sherlock Holmes and Guy Montag as they read. They will also level-up themselves as Seekers from Lost to Trailblazers as they write. Here we go! (*Mario voice*)

[Dana W Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly outdated at this point (2021) as there are technologies available to make this process a bit easier than attempting to force Blackboard (LMS - Learning Management System) do all the heavy lifting. But, from someone who has "gamified" half of a high school geometry curriculum, this book is a great place to start.

[Graham Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to properly gamifying the classroom. Sheldon takes the reader through various iterations, explaining the changes he made and the reason for them. Because of this, it is easy to adapt to your own teaching context, no matter what the subject. Highly recommended.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting exploration even if it reads like you are only getting half a conversation. Case histories are interesting. I would have liked to see more exploration of XP/ assessment.

[Apostolos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Sort of expected more - but it's good to see the concept applied to different classrooms, and witness the evolution of a design.

[Geroge Cohta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, I will tell you straight up: There is content in this book that feels like filler.

[Nancy Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in a day and would LOVE to be able to pull this off for my 6th grade social studies classes.

[Mournfulbliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas in theory, but I struggle to see this happen on a college level.

[Ed Shapard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas, and useful if you want to gamify your classroom, but much less of a 'how to' guide and more of a memoir of someone who did this.

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is what the title says, and if you are planning to gamify your classroom, this is required reading.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and encouraging. It's well worth the read for anyone looking to make learning fun and engaging.

[C.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting read on the idea of turning your course into a game.