Games
(GAY-mz)
Radioactive
What is a Game in Learning & Development?
A game is a learning activity in which game elements are used to accomplish specific learning objectives.
Other Common Names
Other common names for games include:
- Play
Key Properties
In her book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, Jane McGonigal discusses the plethora of benefits that game play can bring to the world and identifies four core properties of games:
- They have a goal
- They have rules
- They have a feedback system
- Participation is voluntary
Resources From The Train Like a Champion Blog
- Using the Newlywed Game for Coworkers
- Creating Training Games Like Family Feud with PowerPoint
- New Employee Orientation Game
- “Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”
- 5 Ways to Incorporate More Play into your Next Presentation
- Board Games for Training Inspiration
- A few considerations when designing a game for your next training
Some Playful statements from Brian's book What's Your Formula
- "Several years ago, I worked with some colleagues to try to develop our own game for a training program on nonprofit board development (The Nonprofit Board Board Game!). We bounced ideas around, discussed them as a team, reviewed some of the content with subject matter experts, and thought we were ready. Then we piloted it, and it was a disaster. When our team debriefed this experience, we realized that creating a Board Board Game was a fun concept, but given the time we had for the session we were asked to develop, the game was too complex and there were some simpler, more straightforward and effective ways to introduce the concepts to accomplish our objectives."
- "Games can be hazardous to your training program when they are integrated more in the name of fun than in learning. Just because you’ve added a game to your program does not mean that you’ve magically gamified it. Games and gamification are different, which is why they are two separate elements on this periodic table."
- "In an environment such as sales, where competition is part of the job description, a well-designed competitive game can simulate the real-life environment in which learners are navigating on a daily basis. If your training program is focused on skills such as team building, problem solving, or leadership development, a cooperative game may be more appropriate. Be prepared for some learners to naturally be more concerned about the rules, fairness, and winning than they will be about learning. Whichever direction you choose— competitive or cooperative game—be sure your learners understand that the game is a learning device and in the grand scheme of things, winning your game doesn’t really matter."
CLOSELY RELATED ELEMENTS
Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint can be a useful element in several different ways. Games like Family Feud or Jeopardy can be created using the animation and trigger functions. For board-style games, using PowerPoint to remind people of the basic rules of gameplay can be quite helpful.
Quiz Software
Using online quiz game platforms like Kahoot can take the onus of game-making off you. Many of these tools track each player’s score and give you an opportunity to pause between each question to discuss the answer in more detail.
Adult Learning
Integrating sound principles of adult learning, especially the principle that adult learners want their professional development experiences to be relevant and help them solve immediate work-related problems. If your game idea doesn’t meet these criteria, you may want to rethink whether it is appropriate for your session.
Follow-up
During multiday or multiweek sessions, games can be an engaging way to review and follow up material covered during previous sessions. During a multiweek session we created for a client, we welcomed participants back to the second week by having them play a Trivial Pursuit–inspired game, which our learners found to be much more engaging than simply running down a bulleted list of concepts we had covered during the first week.
Follow-upRapid Authoring
Rapid authoring tools have become a staple of e-learning development. Breaking up screen after screen of content with some advanced development using animations and triggers can add fun and engagement to online learning. Depending on your objectives, there are many video games that can offer inspiration.
Rapid AuthoringMicrolearning
Microlearning can come in many forms, but bringing games into short educational bursts is one way to combine learning with a fun experience.
Learning Objectives Taxonomy
This is perhaps the single most important element to bond with games to ensure you end up with a powerful learning experience that is completely safe for public consumption. Any game you choose to integrate into a learning experience should align with what your learners should be able to do as a result of the program. If you’re thinking of using games, here are several final helpful hints:
Make sure your directions are clear. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting down to play a game and then getting confused by the directions before you’ve even made your first move. Poor directions can lead to confusion and frustration, turning what you hoped to be a fun learning experience into a disaster.
Think of using the junior edition as inspiration. Junior Monopoly or Settlers of Catan Junior (or other “junior” versions) adhere to most of the same game mechanics but are simplified versions. Having simpler directions and fewer game variables can help make sure you don’t spend too much time trying to get your learners to understand your game. The quicker the learners understand the game, the quicker they can get to learning your key points through them.
Keep testing, keep refining. As with any experiment, creating games that are effective, engaging, and accomplish your learning objectives will probably take (at least) several iterations. Be patient and have fun with it. Once you have a working prototype, ask a co-worker, friend, spouse, or child to help you test the directions, flow of the game, and any mechanics you think you need to tighten. Refine the game based upon your observations, test it again, and continue to refine until you think it’s ready for prime time.
Books To Help You Think Like a Game Designer
