{"id":7821,"date":"2026-03-25T10:25:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=7821"},"modified":"2026-03-25T10:48:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:48:02","slug":"on-learning-through-playful-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2026\/03\/25\/on-learning-through-playful-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"On Learning Through Playful Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>\r\n<p>This is a podcast interview I did recently.<\/p>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-7826\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/good-enoughs-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/good-enoughs-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/good-enoughs-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/good-enoughs-450x300.jpg 450w, http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/good-enoughs.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/podcast\/160<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"\">In this episode of Experience Points, serious games expert <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@MinkHollowStudio\">Katrin Becker<\/a> explores why \u201cgood enough\u201d may be more powerful than perfection in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/blog\/2019\/5\/29\/structure-your-gamified-learning\">gamified learning<\/a>. She argues that focusing on defined criteria rather than comparison increases student <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/blog\/2020\/8\/20\/what-is-player-agency\">agency<\/a> and supports a wider range of learners; not just top performers.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"\">Katrin highlights safety and trust as essential to joyful learning, emphasizing that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/15\/make-more-mistakes\">mistakes<\/a> must be recoverable. By allowing resubmissions and designing flexible systems, educators encourage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/blog\/2022\/3\/1\/what-is-player-reflection\">reflection<\/a>, risk-taking, and persistence. She also introduces \u201cbenign transgression,\u201d explaining that students will test boundaries\u2014so instructors should build thoughtful guardrails and iterate their designs without breaking trust.<\/p>\r\n<\/p><div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-7821'><a class='like' href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(7821);\" title='' ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-likes\/images\/like.png\" alt='' border='0'\/><\/a><span class='text'>Be the first to like.<\/span><div class='like' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(7821);\">Like<\/a><\/div><div class='unlike' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.unlike(7821);\">Unlike<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>This is a podcast interview I did recently. https:\/\/www.universityxp.com\/podcast\/160 In this episode of Experience Points, serious games expert Katrin Becker explores why \u201cgood enough\u201d may be more powerful than perfection in gamified learning. She argues that focusing on defined criteria &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2026\/03\/25\/on-learning-through-playful-experiences\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[423,9,379,12,352,369,396,24],"tags":[388,41,389,127,225,126,15,16,393],"class_list":["post-7821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-assessment","category-educational-technology","category-game-design","category-games","category-gamification-2","category-higher-education","category-serious-games","category-teaching-learning","tag-academia","tag-education","tag-educational-technology","tag-game-design","tag-game-based-learning","tag-gamification","tag-higher-education","tag-instructional-design","tag-teaching-learning"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hsb6-229","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5760,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/09\/25\/games-vs-game-based-learning-vs-gamification-new-infographic-but-still-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":7821,"position":0},"title":"Games vs Game-based Learning vs Gamification : New Infographic, but still wrong.","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"September 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This same group (Upside Learning) posted a very similar infographic back in June. Although a few things have been changed, the table they present to show the differences is identical to the one they published in June. Sadly, it may be simplified, but it's still as wrong now as it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/game-gbl-gamification-1024x8201.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/game-gbl-gamification-1024x8201.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/game-gbl-gamification-1024x8201.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/game-gbl-gamification-1024x8201.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6754,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2018\/02\/04\/whats-the-difference-between-serious-games-educational-games-and-game-based-learning-episode-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7821,"position":1},"title":"What\u2019s the difference between serious games, educational games, and game-based learning? Episode 2","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"February 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently posted a table explaining the differences between games, serious games, educational, games, GBL, etc. \u00a0 I thought a concrete example might help to understand the distinctions. Say we are using\u00a0The Parable of the Polygons\u00a0to help a high school class learn about diversity. This is a wonderful little game\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/game-gbl-gamification-2.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7697,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2024\/01\/19\/this-time-for-sure-2-2-2-2-2-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7821,"position":2},"title":"How Can Gamification be used to enhance PD and Training?","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"January 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This brief segment is from an interview that was recorded for the The Game-Based Learning Virtual Summit, held on Nov. 1-3, 2023 hosted by Dr. Patrick Felicia I was asked:\u00a0In what ways can games, gamification and simulations be utilized to enhance professional development and training in education, and what challenges\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7699,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2024\/01\/22\/this-time-for-sure-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7821,"position":3},"title":"Tackling Real-World Problems in Education Using Gamification (a.k.a. Gameful Learning)","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"January 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This brief segment is from an interview that was recorded for the The Game-Based Learning Virtual Summit, held on Nov. 1-3, 2023 hosted by Dr. Patrick Felicia I was asked:\u00a0How can games, gamification and simulations be designed to tackle complex, real-world challenges and encourage problem-solving skills among learners, both in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7703,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2024\/01\/29\/this-time-for-sure-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7821,"position":4},"title":"Looking Ahead at Gamification of Education (a.k.a. Gameful Learning)","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"January 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This brief segment is from an interview that was recorded for the The Game-Based Learning Virtual Summit, held on Nov. 1-3, 2023 hosted by Dr. Patrick Felicia I was asked:\u00a0Looking ahead, what innovations and trends do you anticipate in the intersection of games, gamification, and simulations? How can these developments\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7701,"url":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2024\/01\/26\/this-time-for-sure-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7821,"position":5},"title":"Accessibility and Inclusivity in Education Using Gamification (a.k.a. Gameful Learning)","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"January 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This brief segment is from an interview that was recorded for the The Game-Based Learning Virtual Summit, held on Nov. 1-3, 2023 hosted by Dr. Patrick Felicia I was asked:\u00a0What strategies can be employed to ensure that games, gamification, and simulation approaches are accessible to a diverse range of learners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7821"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7827,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7821\/revisions\/7827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}