Gamification?

I try to keep up with new things in the area of teaching and technology.  This tends to lead to new websites(that I never get around to using) and new ideas such as Gamification(although it goes by many names at this point)  It's the idea that kids like games and the idea of learning through technology and techniques also used in gaming may be a good way for students to learn.  There's even a guy that's totally changed his classroom to fit the idea of gaming in the fact that students must achieve certain standards to be able to "level up."  Other teachers are using things like Minecraft or other popular games in their curriculum.  I guess this just get's me thinking of yet more ideas of things I'd like to try(given enough time)

I've definitely spent some time looking around for some more game-like simulations that I could use in my curriculum.  I think the Science Sleuths that I've mentioned before from discover education is somewhat along these lines, but then I find myself somewhat conflicted.  Sure kids are in this gaming/technology generation, but does that mean that they shouldn't have the ability to actually sit in a traditional classroom and be able to gather some information?

Sometimes it seems that we need to change to some form of entertainer to get our point across to our students.  Should we have to make our presentations as exciting as their favorite cartoons?  Isn't it necessary for student's futures to at least have the ability to learn in a variety of ways.  Every year the students seem to be more and more passive in their education.  They seem to see us as something(like a television) that they can just sit in front of and hopefully soak up some information(which doesn't seem to happen.)  So the question is, do we just deal with the students we are given as they are as we rack our brains to come up with ways to teach them while entertaining them, or do we continue to attempt to get our kids to realize that they must be part of their education as they are an active participant in their own learning?