I am quite resistant to the idea of gamifying all learning, though, of course, it can be a very effective way to get students (anyone, really) to engage in the more “rote” or tedious parts of any learning plan. I feel a little antiquated in the opinion that not all learning should be fun. My main concern is that gamifying learning could make us reliant on external validation for all intellectual endeavours, which really goes against my idea of intellectuality. If we are focusing exclusively on the competitiveness, the dopamine dump, and the addictive qualities of games instead of in the long-term goals of the effort we put into our learning, we may feel the thrill that gamification brings, but not the long-lasting and rewarding sense of self-efficacy and achievement one gets from striving towards something that is meaningful to them. Again, that’s not to say that I’m against any form of gamification in the classroom, but merely that we should be careful to not erase the intrinsic value of learning in the process of making it more like a game.