Gamification: Can learning really be effortless?

Here is the latest in our series of articles on innovation within training. I look forward to hearing your thoughts either by commenting below or please get in touch.

With the ubiquity of smartphones and tablet devices, all sectors of the population are now drawn to gaming, whether casual or hardcore. From Angry Birds to Call of Duty, people are discovering a sense of achievement through game playing.

Gaming methods, or gamification, are now incorporated into many of our everyday activities. An example is the reward badges launched by the Foursquare social network in 2009 and which can now be found in many other applications (sport coaching, personal finance, e-commerce, music and culture, etc.).

Quizzes and serious games are proliferating on social media, training and learning in general. According to the Cegos Observatory, 40% of the employees in France who took part in distance training in 2013 followed an online course involving serious games (an increase of 25% on 2010).

By grounding our learning on enjoyment, we sustain the idea not only that we can always have fun when we learn, but also that we can only learn if we are having fun. To what extent is this true or exaggerated?

Studies into the effectiveness of games for learning purposes show that they boost participants’ motivation and engagement (Jacobs & Dempsey, 1993; Hogle, 1996; Prensky; Pannese & Carlesi, 2007; Fenouillet, Kaplan & Yennek, 2009; BenZvi, 2010). Learning games also generate interest in the activity of learning (Randel, Morris, Douglas Wetzel & Whitehill, 1992).

According to the latest ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) study, gamification and serious games are very popular with participants: 49% of learners think gamification very significantly improved the quality of their training, while 53% had the same opinion for serious games.

Serious games are still expensive to develop,typically between £15,000 and £150,000. This is because the games’ production quality (their storyboard, aesthetics, resolution and user-friendliness) are of the utmost importance for attracting and maintaining an audience accustomed to the standards imposed by video game publishers.

So, can we and must we have fun to learn? Is effort a thing of the past?

EFFORT IS CENTRAL TO THE LEARNING PROCESS

Learning implies a more or less deep-seated change of representations, an acquisition of knowledge and a foray into discomfort zones when the lessons learnt are put into practice. Basically, learning always involves working on yourself.

The type of effort required of learners has changed! They are no longer being asked to learn raw data by heart, but to be capable of finding knowledge when they need it. Michel Serre developed the notion of “memory outsourcing” to capture this idea. He says “new technologies have condemned us to becoming intelligent”.

Game playing is a key learning tool in classroom training, especially to energise a group, step up the pace and get participants more involved. It is particularly effective to use group puzzles to develop the spirit of cooperation, puzzles to assimilate concepts or procedures, and role plays to simulate on-the-job situations, for example.

INCORPORATING LEARNING MECHANISMS INTO GAME PLAYING

The success of a serious game depends on several factors. The first thing, obviously, is to meet the criteria for a good video game: an appealing plot, impeccable production (there is no room for mediocrity in virtualisation), a streamlined game interface, and a level of game play that is accessible without being too easy. But for a serious game to be educational, it must also meet the criteria for an effective training programme. This means a scenario that evolves and that transposes the learner’s job situation in a realistic or metaphoric way. The plot or the associated mini-games should be divided up into sections that match the learning progression required to achieve the learning objectives. Lastly, progress should be regularly charted - not just by awarding points but by explicitly stating the knowledge or skills acquired.

PERSONAL REWARD AND EMULATION MECHANISMS IN A GROUP

Points, badges, medals... Foursquare-type personal reward mechanisms are good for encouraging learners’ efforts and marking individual progress throughout a learning programme, whether classroom or distance. There should be some means for learners to visualise their progress, such as a dashboard, for example.

The success factors for these mechanisms are more than ever based on sociability and consideration. If participants are going to be able to compare themselves with and measure themselves against other participants (and sometimes even challenge another learner), it must be done in a good-natured way. Participants must be regularly reminded of the desired learning objective so that learners are not drawn into fierce and ultimately sterile competition.

In conclusion:

Technological advances and changes in society are creating new challenges for training managers and HR managers. Learners are comparing their training experience with what they see in everyday life, in their personal sphere. To stand out and make an impact, it’s imperative that the learning experience matches or exceeds these external influences.