This idea came about during a careful read of Jane McGonigal’s Reality is Broken. In it, McGonigal cites Bernard Suits with the claim that in a game we voluntarily challenge ourselves with unnecessary obstacles. In spite of being an English teacher, I want to suggest that books are unnecessary obstacles. Can we get by without reading books? There are plenty of adults that prove we can, every day. A book provides a challenge where there otherwise is none. It is, technically, an unnecessary obstacle. So, is reading a kind of game? According to Suits’ definition it could be. This is the basis for my claim that an English classroom, at least the reading workshop part of it, could operate like a game. More specifically, it could operate like the popular role playing game, Dungeons and Dragons.
The main goal of this game would be for students to level up by gaining a certain amount of XP, just like in D&D. Students will read texts voluntarily, and complete pre, during or post activities to reap the XP. With each level students will gain certain privileges, amongst them a roll of the epic D20, which will unlock certain rewards (I provided my list of ideas; feel free to modify according to your desire or willingness to reward your students for reading.)
Because I have experience with D&D, I feel qualified to adapt it to fit my purpose. In D&D character abilities are Strength, Dexterity, Charisma, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution. The closest analogy that may exist for this component are Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. Ideally students already have a sense of their skills in this area. It would be interesting to give students a test to lay the foundation for “ability scores.”
Students may also concentrate their reading focus to gain prestige classes that bring certain rewards.
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