GBL Picks: Curated Game Based Learning Resources
The Knowledge Guru team is obviously very interested in the future of game based learning, and right now that future is bright. But not everyone is as informed about the industry. We are setting out to change that. We’re on a mission to educate the Instructional Design community and the decision makers in Training and Development about game based learning and its true potential.
As part of that mission we’re bringing you GBL picks, a series of curated resources on game based learning and gamification. We’ll explain why each resource is important and how the information in them can be used to shape opinions on game based learning. So now, without further ado, here are this week’s GBL picks:
Pick #1
Corporate and government environments are obviously very different from K-12 schooling, but for our first pick we think we should take a trip to the classroom. This article highlights that games are becoming more and more popular with teachers—in fact, they’re starting to become the norm. That’s a really significant change for overall learning culture. It’s validating to see teachers embracing game based learning; as people in corporate and government sectors look for more effective ways to train, suddenly games become a serious option.
Pick #2
Gamification Market to be Worth $5.5 Billion by 2018
We always love good market research. The financial sector is always worth paying attention to, because let’s face it, money talks. That’s what makes this particular article so important. It highlights a very important report conducted by global research company Markets and Markets. The report predicts that the gamification will grow from it’s current $421 million market to a $5.5 billion (with a B) market by 2018. This research is so important because it shows that gamification is more than just a buzzword—it’s here to stay. In fact, a separate market research company called M2Research came up with a similar report predicting the gamification market will be worth 2.8 billion by 2016. More great research to substantiate the business of gamification.
Pick #3
Blitz Brainstorming Gamification Tool Fosters Organizational Creativity and Innovation
In this article, Gamification Corp. (one of the thought leaders in the gamification industry) shows off a new gamified solution to the demand for organization creativity. The tool is called Blitz, and it was created by Dr. Ken Hudson, former marketing director of American Express, as a fast, easy way to bring people out of a production rut. The opening line of this article really says it all: “If creativity is a muscle, then gamification is the bench press.” This is a great resource for showing that games can tackle qualitative skills, not just quantitative ones. “The gamification principles strengthening Blitz stem from the basis that time-constrained thinking sessions provide a game with minimal rule-based stipulations but plenty of play.” The article is definitely worth a read, and you may even decide to go check out Blitz yourself.
