How To Effectively Use Gamification In Corporate Learning
The fun element of gamification keeps your employees engaged and motivated. A large percentage of your workforce will be Millennials, and there is a high chance that they enjoy playing games. Fantasy and sci-fi are popular with them, but gamification in eLearning is not just about fun. It is about workplace learning too. The game elements just make the learning process interesting.
Fantasy works magic in children. But what about adults? Well, it works wonders for them too. The fantasy element makes the content memorable and relatable. It helps the learners to memorize the concepts better. In fact, you can use fantasy to create situations that learners may not accept in real-world situations.
Here are the top 4 reasons why fantasy and gamification are a winning combination for corporate training.
1. Immersive Experience
Game-based learning using fantasy elements creates an immersive learning experience. Chances are that they take the learners back to their childhood where they had spent hours poring over storybooks. The fantasy elements capture their attention and help in recalling and retaining information. Fantasy-based eLearning takes the learners away from the real world and brings about an emotional connection. The characters have the power to connect to people of different age, gender, race, and so on.
Fantasy brings out the creativity in your learners. And, once they connect with the characters they feel invested emotionally to walk the entire path with them. Emotional responses help the learners think logically. This trait can be transferred to their work and help them invest and perform better.
2. Challenge
Gamification takes learners away from traditional presentation style learning. It provides your learners with a challenge that keeps them going. They are charged up and keep coming back for more. There is enjoyment in the process of clearing obstacles to rise to the next level. The trick is to include challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult. The learner may get bored of being able to solve challenges too easily. On the other hand, if the tasks are too rigid, they may leave midway. You need to ensure that the game-based learning has just the right amount of adrenalin rush.
A great way to build up the challenge is to create a sense of urgency. You can do it by using time constraints on a learning activity, or tension that pushes the learner forward. You can create scenarios where the learner is the protagonist, provide them with challenges, and build in obstacles in their way. This will spur your workforce to keep moving ahead.
3. Behavioral Changes
Feedback is essential in all aspects of work and life. If you are not aware of what you are doing wrong, you can never improve. Gamified courses provide immediate feedback to your learners. If they take a good decision, they are rewarded for their choice with badges and points. If they make a wrong move, they pay for it instantly. As a result, their behaviors get committed to their long-term memory. You will see the benefits trickle down to the actual behavior changes you want to see. This is because your employees practice in a realistic environment in the gamified course. The shell is created keeping their work environment in mind. As a result, they take the lessons learned back to their workplace and try to emulate the behavior from the game.
4. Controlled Environment
No matter how much fantasy you infuse in your eLearning course, it is learning after all. Everything is happening in a virtual environment. Your learners can shoot people, blow up factories, crash airplanes, and so on, but there is no real-world damage involved here. Your organization does not lose money or brand value because of any mistakes committed by the employees. As a result, your workforce can practice in peace and not worry that they will be penalized for their mistakes. If they miss the mark, they have several chances to correct their actions and learn from their mistakes. The end result is that they are more confident about transferring their knowledge to their job role. This increases their productivity.
We create exciting and compelling game-based learning experiences that ensure learner retention and positive behavior change. Whether you are looking to have a collaborate serious game or a competitive online environment to facilitate serious learning, Designing Digitally can create it for you.
