Kahoot and Quizlet Live are both examples of tools that teachers use to spice up lessons through gamification. Most students love these as they can break up a lengthy or monotonous lesson! Let’s face it, our students’ attention spans can be extremely challenging to keep during the school day.
Young entrepreneur Ben Stewart identified an issue with these games though, and as a result spent time learning how to code and created Blooket. He says: “If you play a lot of those games obviously like they’re really fun and they are good for a lot of purposes but I felt like they were missing something. I was getting a little bit tired of the same kids always winning. Points, answer streaks, you get one wrong and you feel like you’re out of the game. There’s no way to get back on top. […] I thought we could do more with gamification.” (Interview With BEN STEWART the CREATOR of Blooket, 2021)
Blooket was launched in 2018 and now has millions of users!
How it works: A teacher picks a question set (or creates their own) and selects a game mode. Next, a sign-in game code is generated for students to join in. When the game begins, players answer questions to help them win, either individually or as a team depending on the chosen game. There are many games available including Café, Battle Royale, Factory, and Racing. My students really enjoy Crypto Hack in particular!
Surprisingly, there is not a lot of information about Ben Stewart available online. He maintains a sparse LinkedIn account but there are some videos on Youtube such as those from the MATH @Mathboardroom Channel. In one interview from 2021, he divulges that he is taking a year off from his studies in order to focus on Blooket and has hired some people including his brother Tom (who has taken on an administrative role for the company).
For now, Stewart is not planning on restricting access to the site by making it a purchase only platform. The Starter pack is sufficient for most teachers. In the screenshot below, you can see the different price points. An advantage to the the Plus version is the ability to browse ready-made sets so that you don’t have to create your own. When asked about the possibility of increasing fees and removing the free function, he responded that he doesn’t want Blooket to be a financial burden on anyone. As of August 2021, they are continuing to focus on making free features and making the site “more awesome”. They are not worried about financials he says… for now.
The interview here is a lengthy one, but it is divided in sections so that way you can zero in on learning more about the site and more importantly… its elusive founder
Sources:
Blooket. (n.d.). Blooket. https://www.blooket.com/Interview with BEN STEWART the CREATOR of Blooket. (2021, August 7). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUBhd0Vu690
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-stewart/
Hi Maurice,
I am a huge fan of Blooket! My students last year were completely absorbed into it. I think it is a brilliant example of what game-based learning and gamification should be: students forget that they are learning or practicing skills because the gameplay is so engaging.
I also love how he referenced the randomness of the games giving everyone a chance to win and not always the top students. I found this out as well through playing and it had such a profound impact on one of my students. I had a little girl that was always below average in math last year and had very little confidence in her abilities. We were doing a mental math challenge through Blooket and while others were flying through the questions, she was still using her fingers to count on a few questions but because she took her time (and got a little lucky with the question rewards) she was able to sneak a first place victory away from one of the top students. The most amazing part, despite that student losing, the whole class, including the boy who lost, applauded and cheered for her. She lit up! Awesome moment brought on by a fantastic idea.
I also like his stance on monetization. The base game is more than playable without any additional costs, but the pricing packages go to support further game developments. If I was still teaching, I would 100% invest in this product.
I think this is a really great example of identifying an opportunity or gap, acquiring the skills needed to address the gap (coding in this case), and developing a product through passion and commitment.
Yes ! I experienced this same thing the other day, as one of my lower level students ended up being on the podium for top three players. Crypto Hack is definitely one of the games that has more “randomness” added to it. Conversely, Battle Royale is one that does the opposite: students compete one on one to see who the top students of the class are, so you’ll want to be mindful of that.