Go for Game-based Learning
I feel like James Bond. With dramatic music playing in the background, I find out my mission. I´m in the story. I navigate my way through my surroundings. Talk to different people. Find hidden clues. I get a little bit closer to the solving of my quest…and, by the way, I learn!
”For sure” some people might think who, when remembering their last e-learning, feel far different from the cool and serious James Bond in "Tomorrow never dies". So, it's time to talk about Serious Games.
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Let's get serious: What are Serious Games?
Serious games are games that are not just for entertainment, but for another "serious" purpose - training. Then we also talk about game-based learning, a learning concept in which games are used to impart knowledge.
Now, those who believe that games are only for children and perhaps pubescent teenagers are mistaken. It will certainly astound one or two readers, but the average age of a gamers is 35 years, 21% of all gamers are even over 50.
Serious games are games that are not just for entertainment, but for another "serious" purpose - training.
reasons why playful learning works so well
So, games are also something for adults. So far, so good. But why should companies use them for continuous development? The answer is simple, it simply works well. Here’s why:
- It hits the spirit of the age: Already today about 40% of all workers can be assigned to the so-called generation Y. The children of the 80s and 90s grew up with constant entertainment thanks to the Atari, Sega, and the world wide web. They are looking for challenges and want to have an impact. In playful learning, they are not only entertained, but can also master challenges and actively influence the course of the game.
- It gets hormones firing: Just like a bit of chocolate gives us a dopamine boost, so does playing games. But it’s not just the act itself, it’s the feeling of being rewarded that is crucial for the hormone hit. This feeling arises in games, for example, through increasing points, digital badges and rankings. In addition, there are endorphins, natural stress killers. Ideal conditions for focused learning are created.
- It is relevant for our work: In games we usually find ourselves in an unknown environment without knowing what to do next. What do you do? We get creative, look for solutions, try things out. This prepares us ideally for our everyday work. Even in the real world, we are constantly confronted with new, unknown problems that require a creative solution.
- It keeps us focused: Learning games combine the goal of learning something with an action and interaction possibility with this action. This avoids passivity, we dive into the story and actively influence what is happening – perhaps even come into a real flow, want to learn more and more.
- It is honest and direct: If we do something right in the game, we make a progress and receive points. Mistakes mean the loss of points and/or life. In short: We fail. The feedback is clear - we experience it instead of just reading about it. This leads to a permanent change in behaviour - even off the playing field.
applications of serious games
For those of you that would now preferably send the whole company on a mission but don't know where to start, we have put together three situations in which game-based learning is particularly popular:
Hazard training
Games create a safe environment for employees to practice and learn safe behaviour even in situations that are associated with high costs in real life or can be life-threatening when making wrong decisions.
Onboarding
The first impression counts. While welcome events lasting several days in dull and cold rooms with boring little canapés have a deterrent effect, onboarding games ensure that the first impression is positive.
Icon Sales Training
Sales training
Sales people are competitive by nature. Serious games with leaderboards give them the chance to compete with their colleagues, acquire complex, technical product knowledge, train sales arguments and deal with difficult customers.
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