Designing Digitally
02/14/2019
The term gamification was coined by Nick Pelling, a programmer. It means applying game elements to the non-game environment. Gamified training has been around for some time, but organizations are taking it more seriously now. And why not, considering the benefits it offers?
Gamified training establishes a defined set of rules that help learners overcome challenges. It offers clear, instant feedback and rewards for mastering levels. This encourages the player to explore further. Since it makes learning fun, the learners are deeply engaged, and engaged learners are what every organization aims for.
How can game-based learning help your organization?
A PEW Research study stated that by 2020, gamification will be adopted by most corporates and educational institutes. There are several benefits that gamification provides to an organization. Here are three of the ways that gamification can help your company.
Gamified training solutions provide employees with the option to try out a variety of job roles in different departments. So, if a salesperson wants to try his hand at accounting, he can choose to go through a gamified training simulation that emulates the accounting workflow. Since it’s all virtual, he has a risk-free environment to practice. This is a great way for your employees to gain an additional skill-set. And, why just a new skill? Your employees can also practice their existing skills in a gamified environment. They can make mistakes without fear and learn from them, without causing any real-world damage.
Let’s face it - policy training is no fun. In fact, some of them, like safety and compliance training, are really boring. But, they are important. If you want your employees to remember the safety rules, you need to present them in a manner that they retain the information. This is the perfect opportunity to incorporate gamification! You could create a game with the existing content and reward them for answering right questions or clearing a level. Leaderboards foster healthy competition amongst learners and encourage learner engagement.
Gamification is an innovative way to engage a vast pool of candidates. A gamified process makes you more attractive amongst job seekers. Consider creating various challenges around personality traits that are not easy to gauge. A gamified hiring process helps to assess the candidate’s drive and innovation, their ability to take up challenges, and their proficiency when working under pressure.
Design is a core component of a successful gamification process. Simply throwing in elements like badges and points will not work unless it adds up to something relevant. If you want your corporate gamified training solution to be successful, carefully plan out the strategy and align it to your learning goals.
At Designing Digitally, Inc., we blend game mechanics with instructional design elements to create an engaging learning experience. As a result, overall performance is improved.
To learn more about gamification and how it can be incorporated into your training strategy, book a free consulation with our team of experts today.
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