First, have a look at these interesting data: Total revenue generated from the sale of game-based learning products in 2016 was 2.6 billion dollars. Projected revenue from the sale of game-based learning products in 2021 is 7.3 billion dollars. Compound Annual Growth Rate [CAGR] for game-based learning products is 22.5 per cent. These are some of the critical indicators of the increased demand of gaming for learning. But so far as a ‘gamified approach to learning’ and its application by corporate learners at the workplace go ‘THE GAME IS ON’.
Gaming tools for skilling
Gingerly though in small baby-steps, organisations have begun to make use of gaming tools for long term growth and skilling workforces. There are also myths surrounding the use of these tools. Many think gaming is all about having fun and no serious business. And why should it not be so? After all that is the common perception about gaming. Thankfully, all those thinking about gaming are a passé now. Increasingly people in the business have begun to take gamification as a serious business of learning and growing.
Better learners’ engagement
What a decade ago was only an idea, gamification has assumed a new meaning in the modern corporate training parlance. It has become an essential element of most of the corporate training programme. There is evidence to suggest that a gamified approach to learning not only ensures better learners’ engagement with the content but also easy and effective digestion and application of the knowledge.
Gamification for innovation
Global research and advisory firm Gartner in its ‘Gamification 2020’ report has made an important forecast. According to the report, the ‘GAMIFICATION’ will have immense bearing on ‘Innovation, workers’ output, globalizing of higher education, surfacing of platforms for customers’ engagement and personal development.
Impactful strategy
Whether in a corporate or normal workplace learning scenario, a gamification strategy has to be impactful. And, what are the parameters of judging whether a particular strategy is working or not? The foremost criteria of assessing the impact of gamification is to see if the programme has captured and retained learners interest, challenged them and their existing skill sets, engaged learners in a fun and learn set up and taught them skills. An effective gamified approach to learning will also have feedback for improvement and provide learners a sense of achievement.
Modern vs traditional learning
But, then, is a gamified approach to learning better than traditional methods of learning? There has been an increasing section of corporate trainers who pitch for the former. According to them though expensive, gamification in corporate learning set up is better than traditional methods of imparting knowledge. They argue that gamification increases learners engagement, promotes healthy competition, instills a sense of achievement among learners and impacts change in behaviour.
Fun and learning
There is, however, no denying the fact that fun and learning can go hand in hand in an effective gamified learning strategy. The element of fun only goes to enhance the learning experience by ensuring better engagement. Let’s see how it happens.
Content that sticks
· An effective gamified approach in corporate learning creates content that sticks
· It activates the brain for long term retention and designing learning.
· The knowledge remains with learners long after the learning.
· It ensures a better rate of completion of learning and higher application of on job learning.
· A good concept can always drive a better gamified learning process with better outcomes.
Game learners love to play
Using gamification for improving on-job application of learning for achieving better business outcomes is a fun-filled way of remaining engaged in a modern corporate workplace. There can be no better way of engaging with corporate learners than this. No wonder it is ‘THE GAME’ corporate learners love to play.