Why Games Are More Than Just Entertainment

Nearly everyone would agree that games are just plain fun. The competition, the thrill of victory, the enjoyment in coming out on top, and the satisfaction of improving are all part of the pleasure of games.

While games have had a place for a long time, they have taken on a new role in education, especially in the elearning genre. The change isn’t just within the walls of a school building, either. It’s happening at institutions of higher learning and in businesses and corporations all across the country.

Companies who are integrating elearning into their training programs are seeing the impact it has on their employees’ preparedness to do their jobs. Games are fun, but they do much more than entertain in today’s world.

Three reasons elearning for companies is wise

Training employees to do their jobs properly is vital to the life of a company. An ill-prepared workforce reflects poorly on the company and can lead to lost revenue. Utilizing game-based elearning training programs is wise, and here are three reasons why:

Learning happens during the process of game play. Playing a game opens up the learners’ minds to different perspectives and possibilities. They can be introduced to new concepts as well as experiment with different solutions and answers. For example, suppose John has just been promoted to a management position in his company. There are new guidelines he must learn to follow as part of his new job. He has a better chance of comprehending the ins and outs of his new role if he is exposed to them in the context of a game. He is able to play around with different variables to come up with the best solutions, and he’s also able to get a feel for what his actual duties will look like.
Games cause the player to be an active participant in their learning. The one-way type of communication that happens in a traditional learning environment isn’t conducive to the learner playing an active role in the process. They can very quickly become bored and the opportunity is lost. Engaging learners is the way to make sure they are involved in each step of the process. Games do just that by pulling the learners in and harnessing the power of entertainment. Having fun keeps the learner interested and motivated to learn and do more.
Games allow for immediate feedback. A game is always giving feedback. When a player doesn’t advance to the next level, they know they missed something that they have to go back and remedy before they can go on. That constant assessment of their work gives learners a chance to readjust and keep trying until they advance on to the next skill.

Elearning for companies is the most effective tool for corporate training today. Elearning developers are continually making strides in the design of game-based programs that fully prepare workers for what they will face in the real-life scenarios of their day-to-day work. Need help implementing a serious game? Contact us today!