Beyond the Fun

Many studies approach the relationship between games and education, linking them with pedagogical theories, such as the constructivism, the social interactionism, and the early child development theory, respectively. Games are particularly well suited to one of these theories, the pedagogy of liberation, since it may help developing autonomy and critical thinking. However, there is apparently a lack of studies relating the use of games and gamification in education from this perspective. This chapter reports some case studies of using commercial games and gamification methods in a Brazilian school, relating the experiences to concepts from the pedagogy of liberation.