4 key advantages of gamification for training and development

The?gamification of education ?is an approach that aims to increase learners’ motivation and engagement by incorporating game design features into educational environments. Using games in training and the learning process is actually more natural as?play is already ingrained in society and our genes. Gamifying training makes you forget (or almost forget) that you are learning and offers significant advantages.

The 4 key advantages of gamification in training:

1. Focus on engaging, enjoyable and interactive learning
2. Improve the learning experience by creating a sense of addiction thanks to gamification
3. Give advice and feedback in real-time with educational games
4. Show learners how to put what they have learned into practice

Games in training offer numerous benefits both for learners and teachers, so we have put together a list of 4 key advantages of the use of gamification in this field.

What is gamification in training and education?

Gamified training is effectively a style of training which uses elements or mechanisms of play to make the learning more interesting for learners. Using play in training and education promotes the memorisation of content, even very complicated content, and helps to put the processes you have studied into practice.?Gamification modernises and digitalises the approach to learning?to make the process more dynamic and engaging. You can?create a truly original and effective experience ?to increase engagement from your students as well as your colleagues around the different subjects covered.

It can be applied to academic subjects but is also more widely used online in e-learning and remote scenarios. More specifically for businesses, gamifying training also allows you to?improve the brand image ?of your company. Even if that isn’t the main goal, a game creates a more fun and innovative image for your business or establishment.

1. Focus on engaging, enjoyable and interactive learning

One of the first common arguments is obviously making all learning more fun and engaging. Engagement is essential to learning as not only do learners retain the information better, but when they are engaged in a lesson, they retain the information better for longer. Learners are much more likely to get involved in an entertaining and fun learning programme than they are with a traditional lesson programme. Using gamification strengthens the appeal of lessons being delivered, and students are instantly much more motivated.

Academic or educational gamification is also very interactive. It offers students an immersive experience which?promotes the learning of new knowledge and competencies.?Play also promotes social interactions, group cohesion and teamwork. It is not always easy to capture the attention of your audience during training, especially if the subject is difficult or new to some participants. Gamification helps you to bring even the shyest of people out of their shells and create a real group dynamic.

Using games in training and education also raises awareness that it is okay to make mistakes. In a learning programme with traditional grading, the concept of a second chance is relatively unavailable. One of the main benefits of play is that although, of course, we may lose, we can always start again. Thanks to games, players and learners can practice and start again to understand and learn from their mistakes.

2. Improve the learning experience by creating a sense of addiction thanks to gamification

Due to the characteristics of games, it is actually completely natural to see similar results in terms of engagement when these play-based elements are applied to teaching materials. Learners are more engaged in a stimulating environment than they are in more traditional training where they don’t play an active role. With more engaging content, they are eager to learn and are more likely to retain the information you are teaching them. Gamification is a significant asset which allows learners to?be more engaged in exploring and studying educational content, especially in an online training environment.

An?inspiring psychological motivator ?that is foolproof and promotes competitiveness through gamification. Fun and informative teaching using games help you, firstly, to develop interactions between people and also to create a competitive dynamic between them. Many people find a competitive group dynamic much more engaging, even in business. Games let you introduce a healthy competitive spirit between learners by displaying a leaderboard with each person’s score or even with the help of a reward system following?a quiz .

3. Give advice and feedback in real-time with educational games

Feedback plays an integral role in learning and development through play. It is a personalised way to connect with the learner, to gather their opinion and to help them to progress. It is therefore very important and even essential. To get the best results, real-time, informal feedback is the most effective. It helps them to accept your comments more easily because it shows you are paying attention to what the person is doing.

The power of “positive” feedback to improve engagement and motivation is very important in developing skills and discovering unexpected qualities. No matter what the context is, academic or business, you get much more out of people sincerely valuing their efforts than by criticising them and focusing on the negative elements. However, “negative” feedback which is constructive is also necessary to steer learners in the right direction. For an employee or student to really progress, you must make them aware of their potential for improvement.

For training, feedback can come in many forms. Feedback on experiences can be in the form of validation or rewards such as a badge, a points leaderboard or verifying they have understood a concept well with a good grade on a test, for example.?A games programme also allows you to collect important data to guide and advise learners?on how to improve whilst highlighting what they have learned. So many ways to keep a strong, personal connection with the participant, keep them engaged in the activities and active throughout the course.

4. Show learners how to put what they have learned into practice

Educational and academic games are an excellent way to emphasise their uses in a fun way in a relaxed atmosphere to allow participants to try their best. Fueling their desire to learn and their retention of information requires repetition of their use. Yet, to maintain their desire to learn and practice, but especially their desire to do so, in the long term, you need innovation and action.?Games are perfect for testing skills and knowledge, as well as putting their knowledge, which they acquire during the training or lesson, into practice. Educational games play this role by presenting the content in a new way with new, customisable functions to maintain their desire to learn and progress.

Your gamified project should be coherent for the participants and aligned with the goals of your training or lessons and the participants’ needs. Within the game directly, this can translate as an indication of the player’s progress in the game path, such as, for example, the level they are on or the number of lives they have remaining. They will gain a better understanding of the reason for developing this skill, and the benefits your training offers in their day-to-day working life.

The Drimify team is made up of gamification experts who can guide you from the initial design to the realisation of your project. Take advantage of our advice to add a fun and engaging new dimension to your training thanks to gamification.

Source: Gamification and Training