Gaming is more popular than ever – with recent studies claiming that Generation Z are likely to have around 10,000 gaming hours racked up before they enter the job market.
Gamification of learning has been growing in many industries, particularly with the training of younger employees. It can be an extremely useful tool for engagement – making learning fun, increasing voluntary participation and improving motivation in learners – in turn, significantly raising retention rates. Gamification is an excellent training solution, as it encourages learners to repeat tasks until they succeed, so they can learn through trial and error. As it makes learning fun, it raises voluntary participation rates and motivates learners.
Our Top Tips for Getting The Most Out of Gamifying Training
Learn Through Storytelling
You may have seen memory experts use the storytelling technique to remember a list of words in order. For example, to remember the words “plate, clock, phone, time, dog” they might create a story about how they were washing a plate when they checked the clock on their phone and realised it was time to walk the dog. When applied to training, storytelling can be useful for tasks like recalling processes that have to happen in a certain order, and when to apply them to other situations. This basic concept is useful for learning much more than just lists. Stories engage the emotional response areas of the brain, which studies have shown helps knowledge retention.
Create (Friendly!) Competition
Competition can keep learners entertained and motivated. Having a leaderboard can encourage learners to repeat levels, which consolidates their learning and helps them to commit the information to their long-term memory. Having each level of the game teach a specific part of the material, and including a scoring system, can identify which parts of the material the learner needs help with. Replacing end-of-training quizzes with in-game scoring gives the learner immediate feedback so they can retry. It also removes the pressure some learners might feel from tests, as well as lowering the chance for misunderstanding the question – both of which can lead to inaccurate results.
Include Minigames in eLearning
Studies show that people learn more effectively when training is provided in short bursts with regular consolidation, which makes minigames the perfect solution. They also break up the learning process, providing a fresh task to add variety and help retain the learner’s focus.
Use Gamification as Part of a Larger Training Plan
Training games work best as a piece of a bigger puzzle, and gamification is highly compatible with different methods of teaching. Games can fit into several areas of training too; you could introduce a topic with a game, use minigames throughout the training process, or culminate and consolidate learning with a game.