Game Mechanic #5: Uncertainty/Variety

Who likes uncertainty? NOBODY!

But can we live without it? NO WAY!

Not because change is the only constant and all the other management mumbo jumbo but more importantly: Life would be too boring! In one of the most watched TED talks, Tony Robbins talks about a human need called variety or uncertainty. Here's a quick transcript of the segment:

So, God, in Her infinite wisdom, gave us a second human need, which is uncertainty. We need variety. We need surprise. How many of you here love surprises? Say, "Aye." 

Audience: Aye. 

TR: Bullshit. You like the surprises you want. The ones you don't want, you call problems, but you need them. So, variety is important. Have you ever rented a video or a film that you've already seen? Who's done this? (audience raises their hand) Get a fucking life. 

Why are you doing it? You're certain it's good because you read or saw it before, but you're hoping it's been long enough you've forgotten, and there's variety... 

Watch full talk here (it's worth the watch if you haven't seen it already)

One of the questions that I often get asked is: How do I integrate game elements in learning? Which is the purpose of this entire series of articles #21GameMechanics. In this article, I'll expand on the mechanic called uncertainty which can also mean variety in the context of game mechanics.

Uncertainty in Learning

This not a copy paste mechanic (well most aren't, but this one especially!). So let's talk about where 'Uncertainly' will NOT work.

• Learning Objectives: In most cases, your learners need to know what learning they will take away from the learning experience. Unless it's an explorative program (and is understood that way by the learners) in which the objective itself is to figure out what they will learn.

That said, the industry is in a dire need for uncertainty/variety in learning formats among other areas and we all know it! We often think that our learners will resist but in reality that's not the case. When they say "I'm not a gamer" or "I don't really play games" what they're really telling me is.. I don't want to make a fool of myself, so make it easy for me to learn and play. And my experience tells me that most people will learn and play if you design and deliver it right.

So before we jump into integrating uncertainty into our learning design, let's take a look at some areas in which I've been able to implement this mechanic safely (you're welcome to skip ahead to "Integrating Uncertainty in Your Learning" if you're in a hurry):

Examples of Uncertainty

In an invite:

Not everyone has had this opportunity but if you've been invited to play Evivve by me, you've already experienced this first-hand. But if you didn't experience it then here's what that invitation conversation looks like:

The invitation is far from your typical: "Here's the link to join the game". There's a sense of surprise, curiosity and anticipation which comes from making decisions with uncertainty of what's coming next. When we contrast this against how we invite learners to join that new leadership development program you spent half the year working on, we realize that we're far from creating an excitable endeavor for our learners to explore. This is also one of the reasons I believe creating a successful learning program is just as much marketing as it is learning design. Another thing to note about the invitation is that there's a lot of freedom in it. The player can choose to select either of the pills or to not play the game at all! 99% of people play and what's even more intriguing is that roughly 90% of those who play, choose the "red pill" Why? I'm not entirely sure yet... (I'd be glad to hear any insights on this if you'd like to share)

In the learning format

The format is the mode in which the learning is delivered. examples of common formats are webinars, self-paced e-learning, virtual/physical classroom, etc... In the context of Evivve: When learners do come to play, they play using an app they have never used before. Most people have also never experienced such a format of playful learning in the past either. Here's an example of what that play looks like (Watch from 0:50 to see the format of the game-play):

The format used here is a combination of virtual classroom and multiplayer game-play.

In the learning experience

Following the same example of Evivve here, the learning experience has a sense of variety to it. Allowing the learner to experience learning by talking, writing, brainstorming using virtual whiteboards etc, thinking and reflecting makes the learning experience more rich and meaningful.

Integrating Uncertainty/Variety in your learning design

Now, let's get down to brass tacks. Here are a few tips to help you think about integrating uncertainty/variety into your learning design

Make it expectedly surprising

I say "expectedly surprising" because people don't always like surprises. They like the surprises they like but not the ones they don't like. Does that make sense? Use foreshadow to build it up and create a controlled uncertain environment. Here are some questions you can ask yourself as you're designing:

• What can I do that will surprise (in a good way) my learners?
• Does my learning content/design surprise? Or is it the 'same ol', same ol'' when the learner clicks the "Next" button?
• Do I offer interesting/unexpected rules of engagement in my learning program?

Make it easy

Let's accept that most people are pain-avoiding and that they'll do whatever they can to take the path of least resistance. That makes roughly 80% of your learners. So while we aspire to push our learners a bit, we have to think hard on trying to make it easy. I know I'm asking a lot because in one breath I'm saying create a sense of uncertainty and yet in another: asking you to make it easy. If it's not easy to process, learn and interact with, you're likely to push learners away. Here are a few questions to help you make it easy for them:

• How easy/difficult is it to learn the interaction I'm offering?
• Will my learners be able to experience the emotion I'm hoping for them to feel? (Sounding boards are very helpful here)
• Will my learners be able to easily understand how to navigate through my learning design?

Enable Exploration

One of the advantages of an open exploration environment is that you can exercise the uncertainty/variety mechanic quite heavily. As the learner explores the platform/program, they don't always know what to expect. Adding Easter Eggs in the program can also reward such exploration and facilitate more exploration. Here are some questions that you can ask yourself to enable more exploration for your learners:

• When do my learners have freedom of action? Do they feel free to explore at these times?
• When are my learners constrained? Do they feel constrained at these times?
• Are there any places where they are too overwhelmed by too much freedom?

In a nutshell

Use the uncertainty/variety mechanic to add a bit of spice to your learning program but use it with care. Always bounce off ideas with people who match the profile of your learners to ensure the intended results are emerging from your design. And lastly, don't be afraid to do something radical -you never know, you might just create something incredible!

I hope these tips and suggestions help you to design learning experiences and programs that leverage game mechanics in all the right ways. I hope to hear what you thought of this article in the comments below (they really fuel me to write the next one ??).

Happy designing!

PS. If you haven't played Evivve - The Leadership Game and want to give it a try. Join one of my games here.

---

Over the next few months, I'll be defining a range of game mechanics and how they can be used to enable learning. Please follow #21GameMechanics to stay in the loop.

1. Challenge
2. Purpose
3. Progress
4. Feedback
5. Uncertainty (this)
6. Time
7. Reward
8. Belief
9. Points
10. Virtual goods
11. Group quests
12. Availability
13. Exclusivity
14. Scaffolding
15. Control
16. Mini quests
17. Boss fights
18. Leaderboard
19. Peer pressure
20. Water cooler
21. Loss aversion

#21GameMechanics #learning #gamification