Mainstreaming Web3 Using Game-Based and Gamified Learning with Ledger’s Educational Programs

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change” — Stephen Hawkins

The human brain evolved to be able to continuously evolve for change. The neocortex is the outer most layer of the brain and is significantly larger in humans than in primates. The nested structure of the cortical columns that make up the neocortex is ideal for inherent and persistent adaptation and once evolutionary pressures eased, that same neocortex led to human innovation and each innovation accelerates the speed to the next.

This is why education needs to be future-ready. A future-ready education is one that takes into account the rapidly changing technological environment and prepares to use emerging technology to further current and future opportunities. It’s a way to future-proof your skills and knowledge base so that whatever happens in the future, you can quickly adapt to the changing landscape.

Ledger is the crypto market leader for affordable security and has been leading the space in web3 education; not only because it is a trusted name in crypto security but because they understand that pedagogy matters! Pedagogy is an education industry term for teaching style and educational methods. Countless studies in the past few decades have shown that information is best remembered when actively engaged as opposed to passively consuming the material. However, not all lessons should be taught the same way and very different methods would be used for a skills-based lesson versus a concept-based lesson. For example, learning algebra and learning stoicism wouldn’t be done the same way with the same level of success. Ledger’s team of educators knows this and has developed several programs to help people to not only be exposed to crypto education but to remember that information when it really matters.

Let me take a step back. Actually, I’m going to jump back 35 years to when I was a child and started playing Oregon’s Trail on my Apple IIC. It was one of the first games I remember fully getting immersed and although I knew it was based on true events and that it was going to leave me with memories for over 30 years about things like dysentery, cholera, typhoid and how to work together to overcome challenges but I would have never classified it as an educational game. It was too fun for me to think about it as school related. This is the power of a story fueling game-based learning. The right game will motivate players to come back day after day and when that spaced repetition is used with an educational game, along with continuous formative assessment and gamification elements true immersion will make the information unforgettable.

Now back to Ledger’s educational programs and how they show elements of game-based and gamified immersive learning pedagogies so necessary for the onboarding of mainstream to web3.

Ledger has 3 educational programs:

1. Ledger Academy
2. Ledger Quest
3. Ledgerverse School of Block

Ledger Academy

Ledger Academy is Ledger’s flagship educational program since 2018. It features hands-on courses, tutorials, and resources on both hardware wallets and blockchain technology. Content is presented in an easy to follow, step-by-step format. Resources can be filtered by level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and format (listen, read, watch) so learners can focus on their preferred learning method. All video tutorials are less than 10 minutes which is the ideal length of time for educational videos, however some of the intermediate and advanced videos in their School of Block video series are a bit on the longer side. The Academy also has a learning management system with quizzes, assessments, and badging capabilities to ensure users are retaining the material. Ledger Academy is designed for users of all skill levels, from crypto beginners to advanced users.

Ledger Quest

Ledger Quest is an innovative crypto education program from Ledger, that leverages information from the Ledger Academy for formative assessment. It combines game-based and gamified immersive learning pedagogies with the goal of helping mainstream users understand and adopt web3 technology. Ledger Quest features a platform where users can generate and post content, which is moderated for security and accuracy. I did not get an opportunity to evaluate the crowdsourced platform but teaching information helps solidify the encoding of information so having an opportunity to teach others will really help learners to understand and remember the material.

The program includes interactive educational modules, quizzes, and assessments to help users retain the material. It also includes a variety of game-based activities such as a virtual version of their flagship hardware wallet, the Ledger Nano X, and a digital version of the classic game mentioned earlier from my childhood, Oregon Trail. These activities reward users with collectibles earned for completion, and users can also earn badges and rewards based on their performance in the modules.

Ledger Quest is designed to meet the needs of learners of all skill levels, from crypto beginners to advanced users. By engaging users in a fun, interactive way, the program helps to ensure that users remember the material and are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that web3 technology provides.

Ledgerverse School of Block

Ledgerverse School of Block is the most innovative game-based crypto education program I have seen yet. It takes information from the Ledger Academy and combines it with game-based and gamified immersive learning pedagogies with the goal of helping mainstream users understand and adopt web3 technology in a motivating and engaging way.

Ledgerverse School of Block features a virtual version of their flagship hardware wallet, the Ledger Nano X. Players can explore a 3D world and play mini-games that reward them with collectibles for completion. Additionally, users can earn badges and rewards based on their performance in the modules.

Like the other programs by Ledger, Ledgerverse School of Block is designed to meet the needs of learners of all skill levels, from crypto beginners to advanced users. By engaging users in a fun, interactive way, the program helps to ensure that users remember the material and are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that web3 technology provides.

A great aspect of this program is that your progress does not save so in order to finish, you must do the entire program in one seating. Although it may not seem like a benefit, cognitively, it really is since it forces the user to use spaced repetition since they keep coming back and starting from the beginning.

One thing to keep in mind with Ledgerverse School of Block is that it does require some gaming skills. I am not a great gamer and am very out of practice since my childhood Oregon Trail days, so I had significant difficulty with targeted jumping necessary to complete the game after my avatar graduated from School of Block and was therefore unable to fully finish and receive my NFT collectible reward. Hopefully in the future there will be a way to finish after learning the information even if the players gamer skills are underdeveloped. However, my difficulties in jumping made for a great Tweet winning me this insanely cool limited edition Ledger Nano X!