Why I Selected Light in the Darkness for My Gamification Design

 

For this assignment, I revisited my earlier game concepts Light in the Darkness and Echoes of Tomorrow, to determine which one would translate most effectively into a gamified lesson.  Both games had strong learning potential, but ultimately Light in the Darkness emerged as the best fit for gamification.

Light in the Darkness centers on moral decision making, empathy, and understanding the consequences of one’s choices.  In my original design, players navigated a branching narrative where each decision influenced the story’s direction and final outcome.  The learning problem at the heart of this game is conceptual and reflective: helping learners understand how choices, values and consequences connect.  This type of learning aligns extremely well with gamification because its structure can be reframed as quests, narrative challenges and progression milestones.

When I compared this idea with Echoes of Tomorrow, it became clear that Light in the Darkness offers a smoother transition into a traditional lesson format.  Echoes of Tomorrow relied heavily on exploration, spatial navigation, and environmental feedback, mechanics that are harder to replicate without an actual game engine.  Meanwhile, Light in the Darkness is driven by decisions, story elements, and reflection, which fit naturally into gamification tools like XP, badges, levels and narrative framing.

The WSSG Gamification Design Toolkit reinforces this choice.  Game elements such as quests, XP, badges, progress bars and storytelling map directly onto the structure of Light in the Darkness.  Students can complete decision making “missions,” earn XP for thoughtful reasoning, unlock badges for mastering ethical concepts and progress through levels tied to the narrative. These mechanics enhance motivation while still supporting the learning goal.

Because the heart of this idea is conceptual understanding, not real-time action, gamification allows learners to engage with the material at their own pace while still feeling immersed in a meaningful storyline.  The flexibility, clarity of purpose and strong narrative foundation make Light in the Darkness the ideal candidate for this assignment.