Yeh Bing-cheng: From Probability Classes to a Game-Based Education Revolution

30-Second Overview: Yeh Bing-cheng, a professor of Electrical Engineering at National Taiwan University (NTU), led his students in creating PaGamO in 2013—an online game that allows students to practice academic knowledge by "defeating monsters and conquering territories." In 2014, PaGamO stood out among 1,500 global proposals to win the Wharton-QS Reimbrand Education Award. His most frequently cited remark is: "Students do not dislike learning; they dislike boring learning."¹

A Rebellion in a Probability Class

In 2012, during a probability class in the NTU Department of Electrical Engineering, one observation led Yeh Bing-cheng to decide on a different path. He watched high-achieving students sitting in the classroom with their eyes drifting toward the windows—they could memorize formulas, but they did not truly understand why they needed to learn them. Rote learning (often referred to as "cramming" or "spoon-feeding") trained them well to "get the right answer," but it gradually extinguished their instinct for "curiosity."

He decided to start with the Flipped Classroom approach: students watched instructional videos at home to preview material, leaving classroom time for discussion and problem-solving. While this was considered an outlier in Taiwan at the time, it significantly transformed his classroom atmosphere. But he wanted more.

PaGamO: Wrapping Textbooks in a Game

In 2013, Yeh Bing-cheng and his students created PaGamO (derived from the Taiwanese phrase phah game ooh, meaning "learning through playing games"). The design logic was straightforward: students enjoy video games because they provide instant feedback, competition, and a sense of achievement. Why not bring these mechanics into learning?

In PaGam Go, students "conquer" territories on a virtual map by answering questions, competing against their classmates. Answering correctly equals territorial expansion; answering incorrectly leads to invasion. Beneath the gamified shell lies genuine academic practice. To avoid losing their "castles," students began researching formulas on their own.²

In 2014, PaGamO won the top prize at the Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards, defeating over 1,500 educational innovation proposals from around the world. This award brought international attention to Taiwanese educational innovation for the first time.³

The platform later expanded to thousands of schools across Taiwan and entered educational markets in places like Hong Kong and Singapore, covering subjects such as mathematics, English, and programming.

From a Tool to a Battlefield of Ideas

Yeh Bing-cheng did not stop at the level of a mere tool. He has long used public forums to advocate for changes in the admissions system, competency-based education, and digital learning. He has also published several books on education and accumulated a large following on social media.

His core argument has remained unchanged: Taiwan's education system trains students in the ability to "answer questions correctly," but fails to cultivate the ability to "ask good questions" and "solve real-world problems." He believes that in an era where AI is rapidly taking over "memory and calculation," Taiwanese schools are still testing the very skills most easily replaced. This criticism is not an indictment of teachers, but a questioning of the entire systemic design.

Further Reading:

• Huang Kuo-chen — Another educational innovator promoting reading literacy in Taiwan
• Lu Kuan-wei — Chairman of Junyi Learning Platforms; left medicine for education to create the "Taiwanese version of Khan Academy"
• Yen Chang-shou — A social entrepreneur who transitioned from the tourism industry to rural education
• Audrey Tang — The intersection of digital governance and educational innovation

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