150 words Discussion After doing some online research: 1) Why C++ is a good first language to learn? 2) Outline variable syntax commonalities and differences between Python, C and C++. 3) What are common C++ libraries and how are they used? Discussion 1 Gamification Replies Reply to Daniel Longoria Jr(75 words) What is "gamification?" Why is gamification so motivating? Gamification is anything that has game-design elements and/or gaming principles that are put into a non-gaming context. However, it can also be defined as activities or processes used to solve problems using gaming elements (Walter, 2021b). Gamification is motivating because it gives satisfying results for something that we may not find fulfilling otherwise. For example, most people do not find working out or being active something that is interesting to them, but they may with the help of gamification. Fitbit is a device that you can wear that will track your footsteps and encourages you to reach a certain number of steps per day using game-like achievements and rewards (Walter, 2021a). What are some important elements of gamification? Important elements of a successful gamification are extrinsic motivations, intrinsic motivations, selfdetermination needs, and flow state (Gamify, 2020). Extrinsic motivations are when we perform an activity to receive a certain outcome or avoid an activity to avoid a certain outcome (Gamify, 2020). Intrinsic motivations are when you do something because you genuinely enjoy the activity (Gamify, 2020). Self-determination needs are; autonomy meaning the choices people make and the reason why, competence meaning finding something that generally matches our skill level, and relatedness meaning our connection to and with others (Gamify, 2020). Finally, the flow state, where you can get into a state of flow where you get into a deep state of focus and feel a strong sense of control over the situation (Gamify, 2020). Moreover, the use of badges, achievements, and rewards are also useful to get the person hooked into the activity at hand. All these elements together are important to creating a strong gamification and can be used in almost any scenario imaginable. What industries are using gamification to change behaviors? Some industries that are using gamification are marketing, education, websites, and even health. Examples of gamification in marketing include the game “007: GoldenEye” on the Nintendo N64 in 1997 and was used to promote the upcoming movie titled after the video game (Walter, 2021b). Examples of gamification in education are “Duolingo” which is a language learning website and app that uses achievements and rewards to help the learner continue learning a language (Walter, 2021a). An example of gamification in websites is ‘Reddit” which is a blogging website that uses badges, points, and leaderboards to increase engagement from people using the site (Walter, 2021b). Finally, gamification is used in health industries by using points, achievements, rewards, and leaderboards to provide a reward system and a competitive environment. As you can see gamification is something that is being used in almost every industry and can be used in any industry if it is used properly. Use gamification to develop a plan to complete your final project or some other goal that is important to you. I plan on using gamification to help me run more or just do more cardio in general. I plan on doing this by using a heartbeat monitor that straps around your chest and monitors your heart rate and gives you points based on how high your heart rate is and for how long. It is called “Myzone” and awards points to the person wearing it and provides a leaderboard system. You can do this with friends or join groups and compete with other people in that group to see who gets the most points. References: Gamify (2020, April 19). Top 4 gamification techniques [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3zQo_TCM0 Walter, Z.F. (2021a). 5 top examples of gamification. Gamify. https://www.gamify.com/gamificationblog/examples-of-gamification-with-dr-zachary-fitz-walter Walter, Z.F. (2021b). What is gamification? Gamify. https://www.gamify.com/what-is-gamification Reply to Gabriela Nieto (75 words) What is "gamification?" Why is gamification so motivating? Dr. Zachary (2021), defines gamification as “Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. It can also be defined as a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying the characteristics of game elements.” Gamification is adding game procedures into nongame environments, intending to engage the consumers, employees, and others to share and interact. What are some important elements of gamification? Key elements involved in gamification appeal to the individual’s desires; it can be competition, achievement, mastery, or even socialization. In terms of the methods, gamification uses can use points, badges, and/or leaderboards. What industries are using gamification to change behaviors? Nowadays many industries use gamification to change behavior, but two industries come to my mind that I see in my every day. In fitness and education, Apple uses gamification with their apple watch, I feel good at the end of the day when I receive achievements by “closing my goal rings”, which helped motivate me more to exercise, and that helped me change my behaviors. In my daily life that is the most prominent example of gamification. In education, I see it with my nephew and little sister, they get points when they do all the class work and homework, I see how those awards inspire them to finish their work. In this week’s resources Dr. Zachary (2021) how computer games: Minecraft is a tool that teaches us, “one of the best and most current examples of Game-based Learning is Minecraft: Education Edition. This game teaches students how to code through one of the most popular game formats in the world. If you're a teacher you already know a lot of your students love this game and the game mechanics that come with it. “I’m sure if my nephews’ teachers would use it, he will be even more focused on their school work. Use gamification to develop a plan to complete your final project or some other goal that is important to you. One goal that is important to me is health, which defaults to how often I exercise. I will continue to use gamification to motivate me to exercise at least five days a week and walk at least 10,000 steps each day. Reference Fitz-Walter, D. Z. (n.d.). What is gamification? education, Business & Marketing (2021 examples). What is Gamification? Education, Business & Marketing (2021 Examples). Retrieved July 31, 2022, from https://www.gamify.com/what-is-gamification Discussion 2: Entertainment and Society Replies Reply to Andrew Sparks (75 words) Discuss how entertainment has shaped and been shaped society. Provide some examples. Entertainment has been shaped into personalized experiences for every consumer. This personalization may depend on their interests and personality. The price of media continues to fall over time (Shear, 2019). This decrease in price has caused entertainment companies to seek different sources of revenue regarding their products. An example is streaming services, such as Twitch or YouTube, they’ve focused heavily on giving content creators the opportunity to grow their communities on the platform. Entertainment today allows us to be separated naturally, which has caused people to have less authentic friendships (Shear, 2019). This may be due to the personalization of entertainment and how entranced people can become in it. Another aspect of societal changes is the amount of information that entertainment companies have on their consumers. According to Giegengack (2018), companies are able to make a complete profile of their consumers, which allows them to realize what will most effectively influence their behavior. What do you think are the benefits and challenges of having readily available entertainment at our fingertips? A challenge this presents is the ability to become distracted by entertainment much more easily than before. Entertainment can be accessed from anywhere and anytime, so getting distracted while working on work or school is much easier. A benefit this produces is the ability for people to form communities and friendships on entertainment platforms. The ease of access will allow people to communicate quickly and form relationships with each other that will hopefully be fruitful. Shear (2019) observed that throughout most of history, entertainment was a "multi-player" endeavor, but somewhere along the way, it became a solitary activity. Why do you think this occurred? How can entertainment technology be used to promote a greater sense of community? The separation between creator and consumer has increased over this time, which has become more of a one-way relationship (Shear, 2019). People have become more comfortable enjoying content and entertainment by themselves rather than with other people. A way to mitigate this trend is to increase interactivity with these entertainment platforms. This may force people to work together to solve problems related to the entertainment. Shear, E. (2019). What streaming means for the future of entertainment. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/emmett_shear_what_streaming_means_for_the_future_of_entertainment Giegengack, J. (2018). The price of free entertainment. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/jon_giegengack_the_price_of_free_entertainment Reply to Aneisa Wilson (75 words) Today’s world of entertainment has sparked creativity and innovation to the max with the implementation of technology. Imagination is driven further as new and unique arts spark advances to reform how we experience it, and innovations allow entertainments to continue to wow us. I enjoy how entertainment has joined individuals and groups of different backgrounds to view, perceive and appreciate human and atmospheric creations. Entertainment has allowed societies to share their experiences and react to others. Videogames, like Twitch, are examples of how people from across the world can enjoy a game in unity and with enthusiasm (1). Art has connected people worldwide- showing we may have similar feelings and thoughts. But entertainment can also be very controversial as beneficial, as statistics show an increased loss of focus and need for instant stimulation and gratification (2). It is also noticed that an outstanding number of individuals submit to isolation due to the consumption of online services. The need to attain entertainment outside of the home is no longer necessary (1). When Shear explains how entertainment has conformed society, it explains how technologies has transformed. Like all forms of advances, entertainment is made possible by humans. The transformation of music is a perfect example of how people started sounds to make melodies, and joined unanimously as enjoyment to conform the sound. As societies have grown, I believe the leisure to entertain has been lost and many have focused on contributions to their economy, personal growth and survival. Innovation has also made it possible for a minimum amount of people needed to be able to create and enjoy entertainments with options of personalized stimulation- a song can be made on a computer by one. Entertainment technology has allowed the promotion of creativity to travel, be shared and enjoyed by so many globally. The creativity can trigger a sense of understanding, compassion, enjoyment and competition through someone else’s entertainment. TikTok is a perfect example of dance crazes being seen, shared and challenged. This can lead to contributions to a cause or just induce a sense of relaxation and joy, uniting people now virtually. Entertainment innovations has contributed into allowing people be themselves, find others with similar interests and expand communities virtually. References (1) Shear, E. (2019, April). What streaming means for the future of entertainment [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/emmett_shear_what_streaming_means_for_the_future_of_entertainment (2) Mintzer, A. (2020, March 31). Paying attention: The attention economy. Berkeley Economic Review. https://econreview.berkeley.edu/paying-attention-the-attention-economy/
Purchase answer to see full attachment