{"id":17745,"date":"2023-03-16T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T14:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterprise-knowledge.com\/?p=17745"},"modified":"2023-12-01T14:50:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T19:50:38","slug":"game-based-learning-gamification-motivates-employees-and-improves-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterprise-knowledge.com\/game-based-learning-gamification-motivates-employees-and-improves-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Game-based Learning & Gamification Motivates Employees and Improves Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Enterprise Knowledge assembled Team EK to deliver advanced learning solutions as part of the USA Learning <\/a>contract. We’ve invited world-leading subject matter experts to offer guest posts in our Knowledge Base, as part of our ongoing commitment to thought leadership in Learning and Knowledge Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key member of Team EK is The Game Agency<\/strong><\/a>. This contribution to our Knowledge Base is authored by Ellen Burns-Johnson, Lead Game Designer at The Game Agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDo more with less.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It seems to be a universal mandate. Is there any agency, organization or department that\u2019s <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> operating under this sense of urgency? <\/span>
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Individuals are subject to the same imperative. In general, employees today have way too much work to do and not enough time to do it. There\u2019s always another task to complete, another message to send, another meeting to attend, and another project to start. <\/span>
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This tension puts Learning and Development (L&D) leaders in a tough position\u2014training programs can represent a good investment, but those programs are in an intense battle for employees\u2019 time and attention, not to mention organizational resources. Yes, training and development helps employees become more efficient and effective at doing the work, and quality L&D programs can retain and draw talent to an organization. But training doesn\u2019t help employees get through the urgency of <\/span>today\u2019s<\/span><\/i> to-do list, and the prospect of career advancement through training can feel too nebulous to attract the attention of someone who\u2019s caught up in the daily grind.<\/span>
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To make matters more challenging, much of the training that\u2019s traditionally available in larger organizations is passive and flat. It fails to capture the dynamic, multilayered nature of the problems today\u2019s workers tackle on a daily basis. To learners, such training feels boring and irrelevant, again putting it low on the priority list. The result is that employees don’t engage in training and the organization doesn\u2019t realize the potential of its training investment. Training budgets get slashed, and quality declines. <\/span>
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Gamification and game-based learning offer a way to overcome these challenges and escape this downward cycle.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot just a fad.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The terms <\/span>game-based learning<\/span><\/i> (GBL) and <\/span>gamification<\/span><\/i> sound similar, but they\u2019re different tools used for different types of challenges. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Game-based learning<\/span><\/i> is a method in which learners play a game as part of the process of reaching specific learning objectives. From a learner\u2019s perspective, GBL is about acquiring skills and knowledge through play. From a designer\u2019s perspective, it\u2019s creating a learning activity in which the game\u2019s rules mirror some principle or pattern that learners need to understand as part of their everyday job, or as part of a curriculum of knowledge. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games of various forms have been a part of organized learning for <\/span>thousands of years<\/a><\/strong>. Modern applications of game-based learning often include digital games or instructor-led classroom experiences. Games have been used to: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n