Game Design: Magic Spells to Get Learners Spell-bound with Learning

As a learning and development professional (L&D), have you always secretly envied gaming apps for their ranking on the engagement meter?

What is it about these gaming apps that have people hooked for hours?

People stay up all night to achieve different game levels, even spending money to buy points. Even though there is no measurable profit, they gain a lot of satisfaction from it. Research attributes this engagement to a heady hormone cocktail of serotonin, adrenaline, and dopamine.

We all know the training admin gets tired of sending repeated reminder emails to company employees! They try to motivate them and, in the end, warn them to take courses that will help them grow professionally.

Let us face it, all learning and development professionals want to copy this engagement magic in their eLearning efforts—finding the spell that pulls the learner in with almost zero distraction.

The ‘spell’ (read type of gamification approach) is quite simple! And it differs based on the wish you make (the learning objective you want your learners to meet)!

L&D Wish: My learners will be motivated to complete the course and score maximum points. Learners will be excited by the game-based treatment of the learning content and finish the course and assessment.

The Spell: Structured Gamification and Gamified Quizzes/Assessment

Think of structured gamification and gamified quizzes and assessment systems as empty templates to pack any content. As the learner goes through the content, they gather points, earn badges, and meet the game goals. The leaderboard tracks the learner’s progress, which essentially shows what content they have covered completely and the scores from the assessment. This spell uses the principle of the Self Determination Theory. The idea is that people become self-determined when their demands for competence, relationships, and independence are met.

It is a popular learning method, and hence many rapid authoring tools keep updating their collection of ready to use, gamified quiz templates. Check out this article to choose a free, fun gamification template for your next quiz!

Motivation to achieve a higher number of badges than others is the magic ingredient of this approach.

L &D Wish: My learners will be engaged in a game environment, where every aspect is tied to the learning content and objectives.

The Spell: Content Gamification, Dynamic Single-Player Learning Game, and Dynamic Multi-Player Learning Games: When you want the learner to be curious and explore as they learn.

The procedure of creating content gamification involves changing the content to appear extra game-like and intricate in style. Content gamification employs game features to immerse learners, such as trials, stories, feedback mechanisms, and the freedom to lose. In content gamification, incentives are designed around the content to motivate and inspire learners to pursue the learning experience.

The learning scenario or context becomes the game environment. The principles and processes to follow in the learning situation come from the gameplay framework. Points or badges of honor in the game become the incentives for pursuing learning. The actual repercussions of not following the learning are used to create the feedback mechanism of the game. This is all in an engaging state of immersion that pulls a learner in!

For example, in safety compliance training, the final goal may be to win a Protector credential. The game environment could be an oil and natural gas plant, and the gameplay may entail performing the daily activities within the rules of safety and compliance. Not following the rules will lead to various levels of damage, based on the safety guidelines flouted. You can also involve an element of peer learning by converting it into a dynamic multiplayer game.

Do you want to use the magic of game-based learning to leave your learners spellbound? Do you want them to emulate the actions of the learning game world in real life to win real rewards for you and your firm? Then call up G-Cube now to allow us to help you find the best spell for your next gamified learning intervention!