Professor Game Podcast, Ep. 432: From Tank to Healer: Gamifying Academic Teams
Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Rob Alvarez
Guest: Dr. Raul Mora (Universidad Pontificia Bolivarana, Medellin & Trondheim)
Overview
In this episode, Rob Alvarez interviews Dr. Raul Mora about how gaming mindsets and mechanics have transformed his academic research teams—especially during the pandemic. The conversation centers on practical strategies for leveraging gamer logic and community-building in educational research, using platforms like Discord, and re-imagining academic roles using familiar game archetypes. Raul shares both challenges and triumphs from his international, gamer-driven literacy research lab, offering unique recommendations for educators, researchers, and gamification practitioners.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Raul’s Background and Day-to-Day (03:03)
- Simple, structured daily routines: Raul narrates his life in Norway, balancing dog care, exercise, and running his global research lab.
- Uses Discord as a "mobile command center" to coordinate with students and researchers worldwide, primarily in digital second-language literacy.
Major Challenge: The Pandemic & Remote Work (04:44)
- Pandemic disruption: The pandemic forced a radical change in how academic research teams functioned, halting field work and communication.
- Discord adoption: The shift to Discord, inspired by Raul's gamer team members, replaced fragmented Zoom, WhatsApp, and Teams workflows with a gamer-friendly, community-focused hub:
“They were the ones who suggested that we should move to Discord. Discord is a platform for gamers and it has bandwidth. … We can create channels. It gives us what we need to continue working remotely.”
— Raul, 04:54-07:00
Why Discord Over Standard Tools? (07:16)
- All-in-one platform—voice/text, persistent channels, breakout rooms, and community feel—allowing fluid communication and more natural interaction.
- Gaming mentality: Encouraged thinking like a gaming team, not just academics.
"If we are doing research on gaming, we cannot think of doing research in the traditional metrics... Let's get into this gaming mindset.”
— Raul, 09:05
Gamifying Academic Structures: Tanks, Healers, and DPS (11:00)
- Reframed academic roles: Instead of “lead author” or “second author,” Raul used MMO/MOBA terminology:
“I say the tank. The moment I say tank, everybody knows what I'm talking about. I said, the second author, you're the healer. Everybody knew what I was talking about, and they knew the functions they had to perform in the process of writing."
— Raul, 10:54-11:47 - Cuts down onboarding time and confusion; new team members (gamers) instantly understood expectations.
Victory & Perseverance (12:02)
- Redefining victory: Publishing their book (with gamers as co-theorists) embodied ‘victory’ as not just success, but sustained engagement and perseverance:
“…victory not simply as winning, but as staying committed and engaged… even when you don't win, you still remain committed… after all these years, and I'm like, yes, after all these years.”
— Raul, 12:02-14:53 - The ethos of gaming—facing setbacks, learning, iterating—boosted the team’s resilience.
The Gamification Process & Historical Awareness (15:13)
- Gamers should co-design the experience, choosing games and helping interpret engagement, not just academics abstracting from outside:
“Listen to the gamers… Pick their brain and find out what is it that gamers do when they play.”
— Raul, 18:35-19:52 - Stresses the importance of contextual understanding—looking at game evolution from the 80s onward to see shifts in gaming language and culture.
Critical Best Practice (18:35)
- Listen to Gamers: Prioritize input from actual gamers in your organization to ground your gamification strategy in lived expertise.
Book Recommendations (20:02)
- Self-plug: “Understanding Second Language Using a Gamer's Language as Victory” (by Raul and team)—noted for having gamers as theorists, not just subjects.
- Other key works:
- James Paul Gee — “What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy”
- Jane McGonigal — foundational work on gamification
- John Reinhardt — Foreign Language Learning & Gaming
Future Guest Suggestions (22:09)
- Antero Garcia (Stanford) — expertise in digital/analog games, education
- Critical Games Study Group (Rhode Island/Baylor) — innovators in critical gaming pedagogy
Raul’s “Superpower”: Mentoring Emerging Researchers (23:16)
- Developing next-gen scholar–gamers by blending academic and gamer mentoring;
- Emphasizes need for “mentorability” on both sides:
“If you come [with] the perception that you have all the answers and your students have nothing left to teach you, that's going to be your Kryptonite right there.”
— Raul, 24:32
Raul’s Favorite Game (25:12)
- Mortal Kombat (especially MK11):
“...in my team, they call me Commander with a K. That K is the Mortal Kombat nod.”
— Raul, 25:12-25:56
Parting Advice (26:13)
- Gamers are everywhere: Leverage their skills irrespective of age or stereotype, because their teamwork and iterative learning habits translate to better teams, labs, and classrooms.
- Stay curious: Even if you don’t play games, observe gamer behaviors and adapt their strengths to your context.
Memorable Quotes
- “We start gamifying everything, we start thinking of the language.”
— Raul, 10:13 - “Victory is not simply winning, but staying committed and engaged.”
— Raul, 12:14 - “Sometimes people who are in this position of supervising… If you come to the mindset… you got nothing left to learn and your students have nothing left to teach you, that's going to be your Kryptonite right there.”
— Raul, 24:32 - “It goes without saying, it's Mortal Kombat.”
— Raul, 25:12
Important Timestamps
- 03:03 — Raul’s daily routine, dogs, “mobile command center”
- 04:54-07:00 — Pandemic’s impact & Discord transition
- 09:05 — Adopting gamer logic and MMO archetypes for research teamwork
- 12:02-14:53 — Perseverance, the book project, redefining victory
- 18:35 — “Listen to the gamers” — the golden rule of successful gamification
- 20:02 — Book and resource recommendations
- 23:16 — Raul’s superpower: mentoring/being mentored
- 25:12 — Mortal Kombat and the “Commander with a K”
- 26:13 — Final advice & how to connect with Raul’s work
Where to Learn More
- Research Lab: lslp.org
- Social Handles: Instagram & TikTok: @lslplegion
- Book: “Understanding Second Language Using a Gamer’s Language as Victory”
Tone & Language
The conversation was friendly, energetic, and practical, with Raul’s enthusiasm for both gaming and academia shining through. Rob keeps the pace lively and invites concrete examples while allowing Raul’s storytelling and gamer analogies to take center stage.
Summary Takeaway
Gamifying academic teamwork goes far beyond adding points or badges; it’s about infusing projects with gaming culture, collaborative structures, and ethos—listening to gamers, translating their language, and learning to mentor (and be mentored) with humility and adaptability. For anyone seeking lasting engagement in teams, classrooms, or research projects, Raul’s insights offer a playbook rooted in real-world victories and hard-won wisdom.