A great deal of research has been done examining how game based learning has been used with phenomenal success in the world of education to enhance students’ learning experience and now more and more research is being done on how the corporate world is utilizing game based learning to increase job satisfaction, enhance training programs, improve productivity, increase sales, and ultimately drive profits.
Branch Banking and Trust Corporation (or BB&T) is a North Carolina-based bank that operates in more than 1,800 financial centers across the United States. Their services include commercial and retail banking as well as insurance, investments, mortgage, corporate and consumer finance.
BB&T has recently proved to be innovative through the addition of a mobile gaming application into their employee training program, with the purpose of teaching valuable leadership skills based on the premise that Beliefs influence Behaviors, which lead to Results, which influence beliefs, and it cycles on…
The concept of game based learning was developed around ten years ago, and it has become a very popular one in various circles. A very good example of this is in business. Traditionally, business has been associated with boredom, since most of the things done in the name of business are basically routine. This means that there is a lot of room for one to lose their focus and drive especially if they have to do repetitive tasks. Doing training in business also poses challenges to many, since it usually involves the use of very abstract concepts and terms. However, game based learning techniques are starting to emerge as a solution to some of these solutions, specifically for training.
The Gamification Revolution is the only live gamification webcast featuring Gabe Zichermann and fellow gamification experts every week. Be sure to catch our next episode on Thursday, October 31 at 1PM ET/1800 GMT, where we will feature GSummit Global speaker and author of the new book Play at Work: How Games Inspire Breakthrough Thinking, Adam Penenberg.
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In this episode, Ryan Mizusaki, GM of Learning at Delta, shares the full story on how Delta arrived at a gamified training solution and its development process to make learning about flight culture get adopted by 98% of Delta’s trainees. Watch the full video below and if you want even more information on this story, visit GSummit Global for Ryan’s full length talk.
The fitness and weight-loss world is being revolutionized by the popular concept of interval training – the concept is as simple as it is effective: alternating bursts of intense activity with intervals of lighter activity instead of steady-state pacing throughout the exercise.
Take walking for example. If you’re in good shape, you might incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular brisk walks. If you’re less fit, you might alternate leisurely walking with periods of faster walking. Gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts as you physically and mentally adapt to your routine.
Interval training improves your aerobic capacity, strength and endurance; even more importantly, it keeps boredom at bay and makes working out achievable so that you stay motivated to keep your routine up.
Couldn’t we also apply this model to our gamification design for a similar effect on workplace productivity?
Our community has long extolled the virtues of gamification for motivation. Motivation, however, has many facets. Fear, for example, is a powerful motivator. Could gamification be a heads up version of survival of the fittest? Today let’s play devil’s advocate and look at the dark side of gamification, even if just to better understand it. Because without dark there can be no light.
There is a recent Der Spiegel report on the NSA gamifying its infamous international surveillance program, XKEYSCORE. Gleaned from a secret report entitled, “Tales from the Land of Brothers Grimm”, it detailed training procedures that were used to motivate NSA agents who are new to the program. Gamification mechanics were used such as how agents could earn “skilz” points and “unlock achievements” as they effectively use the training program. What was startling was that the report indicated the training procedure changed the perception of its users opinion on surveillance after a certain period of time.
Here at Gamification Co, we have covered numerous examples where gamified systems have been used for good in solving problems across industries. Nonetheless, there is a need to address the elephant in the living room where gamification is used for questionable means.
The Gamification Revolution is the only live gamification webcast featuring Gabe Zichermann and fellow gamification experts every week. Join us and have all of your gamification questions answered by these experts.
Our next episode is taking place Thursday – June 20th at 1PM EST, featuring Thomas Hsu of Accenture.
This past week’s guest was Bart Briers, Director of Services and Solutions at CTG Belgium. Gabe and Bart talk about Bart’s approach to gamification consulting, what clients expect from Bart’s services, and even a story about training on a…train. Watch the full interview below to learn more:
Product eLearning has experienced huge growth in the travel and tourism sector in the last few years. In the UK alone there are over 300 free training courses available to travel agents. Organisations such as SeaWorld, Avis and British Airways have used eLearning as an advertising medium with transparent results and measurable ROI. However, eLearning didn’t just come out of the blue; we created it as a way to solve some problems specific to our problems in training within the travel industry.
As the worldwide agricultural market becomes increasingly commoditized, the existence of a traditional farmer is becoming more and more scarce. However, many rural villages in Africa still require the skills of a trained farmer in order to support their local economy and community. We’ve reported on one community in Kyrgyz who has used a Farmville-esque game to support local farm operations but Fast Company reports on a new game supported by the Gates Foundation that aims to support these communities through learning. Farm Defenders is a hyperrealistic simulation training game that will be used as a tool for training extension workers, which are government-contracted consultants who teach villagers scientific knowledge through farming.
Playing games has always been a part of my experience growing up. From playing physical board games to virtual games on consoles and PC, each has its own unique sense of achievement and marvel. Yet, after playing all sorts of games over the years, there was a constant thought that ran through my mind. Somehow, the actions and experiences we undergo in the process of playing games conceals a deeper purpose.
Moreover, as a college student who has spent a considerable amount of leisure time playing video games, the nagging thought that games could possibly have some impact on my learning experience became even more apparent. Aside from the standard way of learning through formal education, could games mechanics observed in games and thinking through the lens of games actually help us in unforeseeable ways? Surely there is something more to video games than just playing it for fun?
Adobe and Delta Air Lines both use gamification to drive engagement with their products, which in turn produces a kind of learning and subsequent new behavior for the engaged users. Learning is taking place in this regard but Adobe and Delta have managed to use gamification for an even higher level of learning.
Rather than creating general classes for learning, Adobe and Delta have successfully been able to use games to train people for tasks they want to accomplish and they will both be represented at GSummit 2013 to discuss their training games.
The Gamification Revolution is the only live gamification webcast featuring Gabe Zichermann and fellow gamification experts every Thursday at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST/1800 GMT. Join us and have all of your gamification questions answered by these experts.
This past week’s guest was compliance training gamifier and BankersLab CEO, Michelle Katics. In this week’s episode Gabe and Michelle discuss the difficulties for designing gamification for finance, approaching gamification from a leadership role, and how to design gamification for training.
You can now catch the Gamification Revolution every Thursday at 1PM EST/10 AM PST/1800 GMT.
In the recent months, efforts to combine gamification and training programs in the corporate work environment have been gaining steam. With news such as TrueOffice hitting the headlines and major companies like Deloitte embedding gamification into their training programs, gamified training is soon becoming the new lingo in corporate speak.
Gamified compliance training app TrueOffice is on a hot streak lately as they’ve just announced a new partnership with Thomson Reuters shortly after news of their $3M Series A Funding.
