Millennials, learning and PokémonGo
Where have you been if you haven’t heard of PokémonGo? I’m a millennial that collected Pokémon cards and played the red, blue, gold and silver games on my colour gameboy in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. I got a little excited when I heard the game was going to launched (even though I am now 25).
If you find yourself still asking what is PokémonGo here is a little intro. It’s an augmented reality game available on IOS and android devices, it uses GPS and camera to capture, battle and train virtual creatures. When the GPS finds a Pokémon it shows on the screen as if it were in the same real-world location. You catch it and it's yours. You collect as many as possible and the game is to catch them all, all 250 of them (especially Pikachu). Looks like I will be doing a lot of walking to find them then!
I wanted to understand why I am so addicted and engrossed into the game, what were the factors that were affecting this and could these elements apply to how we approach and think about learning. So here were my top 3 points that have helped to drive my interest and addiction to the game.
1. Ease of use:
It’s on my iPhone (basically an attachment to most people now), I open it when I can. So, on my walk for lunch, on the train, just as and when I need it. It’s also simple, straightforward and with little instruction I understand the objectives of the game. Removing all barriers of me accessing it and getting involved.
So looking at this point from a learning perspective. If learning is available when I need it and has limited complexity on its objectives, it removes barriers to get involved. Not saying this increases the motivation towards learning, but it certainly doesn’t block it.
Learning link:
So looking at this point from a learning perspective. If learning is available when I need it and has limited complexity on its objectives, it removes barriers to get involved. Not saying this increases the motivation towards learning, but it certainly doesn’t block it.2. Part of a community:
Being part of the game allows me to be part of a Pokémon community which helps to drive my involvement in the game. I talk about it amongst peers and would feel excluded if I wasn’t part of the Pokémon world.
Learning link:
This feeling of being part of a community and being connected is certainly a characteristic of the millennial world, but I think as the growth of technology has allowed us to be a more connected world we are seeing all generations stating that a community element is something that is desired in learning. This ‘network effect’ makes learning interactive and participatory, allowing people to learn from others experience through discussing and experiencing content together.
3. Personal:
Although I am part of the wider Pokémon community, it’s my game. I move through the levels as I wish and only interact with the parts that are of interest to me. I move through it at my own pace and don’t feel pressure to get into all parts of the game.
Learning link:
Having something that I choose how and when to work through at my own pace and only interact with what is relevant to me, reduces the feelings of pointless learning. It also allows for the time spent on learning to be more productive as what I am focused on is more relevant to me as a learner.
I think these 3 points are an important take-away from PokémonGo. Looking at ease of use, community elements and personalisation of learning can help to make for more engaging learning environments according to research. However, this article and research that was done for it is all from a millennials perspective. Do we think these elements we have discussed for learning is something that applies across all generation and not just millennials?
I think these 3 points are an important take-away from PokémonGo. Looking at ease of use, community elements and personalisation of learning can help to make for more engaging learning environments according to research. However, this article and research that was done for it is all from a millennials perspective. Do we think these elements we have discussed for learning is something that applies across all generation and not just millennials?
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