Gamification in Education: an Interview with Javier Velásquez
Javier Velásquez is an accomplished gamification designer and consultant who earned his Master’s in Literature from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. In 2012, Javier founded a board game publisher, Azahar Games, and started researching gamification and game design. Together with his sister Ana Maria Velásquez, who holds a PhD in human development and motivation, he started working on a gamification framework called BEM, which focuses on timely feedback and intrinsic motivation. This framework has been validated in human resources, innovation, and education. Also, Javier won Gamicon’s 2019 Throwdown Award for the best overall use of gamification in adult learning.
About the Authors
Juan Roa Duarte
Juan Roa is a Consultant at TDL. He has a background in philosophy and holds a Master’s in Public Policy from McGill University. Juan is passionate about education, public innovation, and peacebuilding. Specifically, he wants to use behavioural science and policy-making to tackle inequality and improve people’s lives worldwide. Before joining TDL, Juan was a Policy Advisor on Behavioural Change at Bogota’s Department of Transportation and a Senior Design Researcher at Corpovisionarios, a Colombian think-tank that pioneered applying a social norms approach to social change.
Javier Velásquez
Javier Velásquez studied Literature and earned his Master’s in Literature from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. Since 2012, he has focused on game design, founding Azahar Games, a board game publishing company. He also co-developed BEM Gamification framework alongside his sister, Ana María Velásquez, who holds a PhD in Human Development and Motivation. This framework, centered on feedback and intrinsic motivation, has been applied in fields like innovation, human resources, loyalty programs, and education. Javier views gamification as a field rich with diverse paradigms, beyond mere design tools.
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