Research, research, research. I am a bit overwhelmed at this point with all of the research available concerning gamification, games in pharmacy, and games for healthcare students. I’m sure I could keep reading for years but, I have noticed some common themes.

Fun Factor- An essential part of utilizing games in higher level education is the fun factor. Typically gamification concepts are compared to traditional lecture style learning. One of the drawbacks with lecture based teaching is that it can become mundane for students and does not allow for interaction. Gamification allows students to interact with the material and each other in a FUN environment. Many studies showed increased enjoyment in learning vs. traditional lecture style learning. I can say from first hand experience that gamification helped break up the monotony of lectures and reminded me how much I enjoy learning.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears- Not too easy, not too hard, just right

Another theme that was prevalent in research was that a significant effort must be made so that the game is not too hard or too easy for students. Too hard will create a negative learning environment and discourage participation and interaction. Too easy will often result in boredom and disengagement from the game. Creating a game that keeps learners engaged is one of the essential components of gamification.

After doing all of this research I know that I want my game to be fun, engaging, and moderately difficult.

I also want it to be updatable so that new drugs or indications can be added to the game over time. The world of medicine is constantly developing new drugs so it is important that I make something that can evolve as time goes on.

Scalability is another aspect I have addressed while considering how to make my pharmacology game. The game should accommodate 4-38 students wanting to play it so that it can be utilized in a classroom or individual study group capacity. I will consider this when creating the visuals and point/level system for the game. I plan on utilizing teams with a classroom setting and single player teams with fewer students.

Moving forward I have drafted a few ideas about game mechanics  and dynamics. Within the next month I will choose a game format/delivery system and start to prototype/develop game components. Theme wise I have decided to integrate a ‘futuristic space’ theme. The diabetes pharmacology game will be its own solar system. It creates the potential to add on other solar systems (disease states) to create galaxies of pharmacology knowledge.