Designing Digitally
04/30/2018
Games are meant to be fun. It isn’t difficult to create an activity that’s entertaining. It gets a bit harder when the discussion turns to serious games for corporate training. Serious games definitely have a fun factor, but in order to be effective, they have to be about much more.
Well-designed games have revolutionized the learning experience. They have the ability to engage learners as they acquire the knowledge necessary to be highly effective in their role. The key is in the design. A game that isn’t well-developed or properly thought out won’t deliver the desired results.
People are much more likely to give up on a learning activity if it isn’t fun. The other side of that coin is that a very entertaining activity isn’t worth much educationally, if the content isn’t meeting the educational objectives.
These are some elements that need to be included in a game to ensure it is educationally sound:
Provide continual, prompt responses. Swift feedback gives the learner a chance to assess their decisions and make changes as necessary. The feedback should be relevant and meaningful, allowing the player to pull significance from their mistakes and successes. Being able to analyze their decisions, in this way provides employees with a greater depth to the learning process.
There are always factors that are out of the control of a designer, but there are a few variables to keep in mind.
Giving serious consideration to these questions guides the development of effective serious games that is beneficial to the employees and provides them an advantage, as they perform their job duties.
Designing Digitally, Inc. can assist your organization to develop effective serious games to meet your training needs that results in greater employee retention, high productivity, and improves the bottom line.
Contact us today!