Gamification, Game-based Learning, Serious Games: Any Difference?

Given the combination of external market forces and impetus within theinstructional design community, sooner or later, every learning-and-developmentor training department will come to a decision point on gamification. As alwayswith new trends, there are discussions and disagreements regarding the details.So, if you and your colleagues are in the midst of gamifying your approach andmethodology, I hope you’ll find value in the best practices that we’ve gatheredand synthesized.

Gamification, game-based learning, serious games: is there adifference?

I attribute part of the motivation for the use of games and game-likefeatures in learning to the increasing popularity ofsophisticated games via PlayStations and mobile devices.

This has led to a debate over the differences between gamification,game-based learning, and serious games. For the purposes of this discussion inthe realm of organizational learning, I propose that gamification, game-basedlearning, and serious games are effectively the same thing, because, in acorporate environment, all learning relates to strategic objectives and has aserious purpose, regardless of the level of gamification involved. As Karl M.Kapp has pointed out (see References at the end of this article):

• When you get right down to it, the goalsof both are relatively the same. Serious games and gamification are both tryingto solve a problem, motivate, and promote learning using game-based thinkingand techniques.

It is true, of course, that playing a game for fun, entertainment, orto satisfy competitive instincts is different than having fun, feelingentertained, or satisfying competitive instincts in the context of job-related learning.However, the differences do not significantly alter the benefits of applyinggame features to (or building games for) learning applications.

Why is gamification gaining traction?

There seems to be three main reasons for the increase ingamification: marketplace forces, the connection between games and learning inchildren, and rising interest in games among adults. Let’s look at these in alittle more detail.

Marketplace forces

Estimates for worldwide spending on games exceed $93 billionin 2013, according to a report from Gartner. That’s up fromthe $78.9 billion spent in 2012. The report projects that customers will spend$101.6 billion in 2014 and $111 billion by the end of 2015.

The connection between games and learning in children

In addition to marketplace forces, even the most superficialobservations of children reveal the obvious connection between games, learning,and retention. Gabe Zichermann andChristopher Cunningham tell us:

So, canchildren learn from games? Absolutely. Research by Dr. Arne May at Germany’sUniversity of Regensburg clearly showed that learning a new task produces ademonstrable increase in the brain’s gray matter in mere weeks. And brainscientists the world over agree that games’ challenge-achievement-reward looppromotes the production of dopamine in the brain, reinforcing our desire toplay.

In addition to these remarkable effects,retention is improved. Zichermann and Cunningham continue:

Research by Wouters and others indicatesthat games vs. text-based knowledge, when tested immediately after theinstruction, are likely to have similar results, but when tested days later thegame-based knowledge is better retained.

Rising interest among adults in games

So why, in the workplace, do we resist employing the effectiveness ofgames, and assume that seriousness is a prerequisite for learning? Suchresistance is natural, of course, given the general framework of corporateculture; but, as the numbers from Newzooindicate, a huge percentage of the population, including adults,are paying to play games and, as we just noted, there is a growing body of statisticalresearch showing the effectiveness of games at improving retention.

What the demographics also show is that adults have asmuch fun playing games as children, even if the form of such fun is moresophisticated. As soon as organizationalmisperceptions regarding time management and cultural integrity are put aside, gamificationbecomes an opportunity to improve retention of key content or behaviors.

How to gamify learning?

Once your team decides to use games in learning events, you’re readyto consider some best practices gleaned from others’ successfulimplementations. Let’s look at some of the basic elements.

Game mechanics and design

• “… it is the mechanics of agame—not the theme—that make it fun.” (Zichermann and Cunningham)

The first important lesson regarding game mechanics (the way the gameworks: its rules and operation) is that the structure and dynamics of the gameshould have an appropriate relationship to the content. For example, if thecontent objectives are focused on successful techniques for closing a sale,then the structure of the gamified course, module, or lesson should have gamemechanics and design elements that relate to sales, such as bonuses,commissions, and other incentives and benefits.

Along thesame competitive lines, earning a reward or prize may not be recognition enoughfor many participants. As Brenda Enders points out, including a means for usersto show off their achievements to others provides additional recognition. Themost common means of achieving this is with leaderboards. Consider some ofthese best practices that Brenda suggests:

• Make sure the leaderboard displays the behaviorsand activities that are most important to reaching your learning program’sgoals.
• Use more than one leaderboard in your program.For instance, you may have leaderboards for each region or office location, aswell as for individual tasks.
• Give everyone the ability to search for players.If players can only see the top performers, and cannot quickly find where they standin the rankings or where their inner circle stands, the effectiveness of theleaderboard decreases.
• Allow learners to create their own leaderboardparticipant list. This allows them to quickly see their standings compared totheir inner circle.
• If your leaderboard does not refresh immediately(in learning solutions, many do not), make sure you clearly communicate theupdating frequency to the learners.
• “Wipe out” leaderboards at the end of the weekand give everyone a fresh start.

In addition to points and leaderboards, here are some examples fromZichermann and Cunningham of other game mechanics that add to the fun:

• Patternrecognition—picking out trends or progressions in the gamified content
• Collecting—accumulatingbadges or other objects that relate to the gamified content
• Surpriseand unexpected delight—receiving unannounced rewards
• Organizingand creating order—dragging and dropping or numbering steps in thecorrect order
• Gifting—awardingpoints to other players
• Recognitionfor achievement—receiving accolades for your successes
• Leadingothers—showing other players how to address challenges
• Being thehero—saving the deal or coming up with product improvements
• Gainingstatus—being rewarded for your achievements

As you probably noticed, some of these functions are more than just gamemechanics—they are thematic—which increases our involvement in the contentdynamics, where the bulk of the learning is delivered.

Interactivity and feedback

One of the cornerstones of any successful gameis interactivity. The engagement level produced by interactivity depends on anumber of factors, including the sophistication of the mechanics, theappropriateness of the mechanics to the content, and the challenge of the cumulativeexperience.

In a compelling interactivity, the challenges presented to a player providean opportunity to achieve specific goals within the game. When designingchallenges, Brenda Enders suggests these best practices:

• Configure yourchallenges based on the actions and behaviors that you’re tracking.
• Reward your learnersfor completing challenges and achieving the designated goals. Make sure thatthe rewards you give your learners are meaningful to them.
• Vary the length,difficulty, and completion time of your challenges.

Challenges can be heightened by generating asense of urgency, such as placing time constraints on the interactivity, justas with real-life deadlines.

James Paul Gee, chief games scholar at the Center for Games andImpact, Arizona State University and the Gates Foundation, offers someadditional considerations, based on his research, that effective gamesincorporate.

Risktaking: Good video games lower the consequences of failure; players canstart from the last saved game when they fail. Players are thereby encouragedto take risks, explore, and try new things. In fact, in a game, failure is agood thing.

Challengeand consolidation: Good games offer players a set of challengingproblems, and then let them solve these problems until they have virtuallyroutinized or automatized their solutions. Then the game throws a new class ofproblem at the players … requiring them to rethink their now taken-for-grantedmastery, learn something new, and integrate this new learning with their oldmastery. In turn, repetition consolidates this new mastery (with variation),only to face another challenge … (Enders)

Elevate these “freedom to fail” interactionsby:

• Designing multiple attempts into interactions.
• Providing positive instructional feedback whenlearners fail on the first attempt; giving opportunities to try again; and, ona larger scale, providing the opportunity to retake the training until theyhave achieved the goal and mastered the content.
• Creating a point category tied to how well thelearner is meeting the stated goals of the learning.

It is also critical to provide feedback thatinforms players where they are, ideally against a continuum of progress—using adashboard or progress bar, etc.—with an unambiguous message that they areheading in the “right” direction. Game levels and other progress mechanics improvethis messaging by breaking the larger story arc into smaller, more achievableunits. This feedback should be providedfor behaviors and actions that the learners choose, and not for their abilityto temporarily remember or recognize information (Zichermannand Cunningham).

Storytelling

The mostengaging games include a storyline to draw the player into the experience. Tostart, write a high-level description of the storyline, the characters, andtheir intent, as well as the settings in which the storyline will unfold. Also,according to Enders:

• Aim for a compellingplot that creates a sense of tension throughout. The learning moments areachieved by working through the conflicts.
• Use characters to whomyour learners can relate, so that their actions generate an emotional response.
• Use a variety ofcharacters, each providing a different type of knowledge, point-of-view, orsupport function regarding the issues. Characters best present content byinteracting with each other in a realistic tone of voice.

The importance of a good story cannot beoveremphasized. Human beings have an inherent predisposition for learning inthis way.

Motivation

Motivation—in conjunction with mechanics, design, interactivity,feedback, and storytelling—drives widespread engagement and buzz, as well as thesuccessful adaptation of desired behaviors and the retention and application ofcompetencies.

What creates motivation?

Certainly, in “the game of life,” there are many different motivatingfactors, but within an organizational environment, it is best to begin byquantifying the drivers for employees as well as for clients or customers. AsKarl Kapp points out, “When looking atthe research, it is important to distinguish between internal and externalmotivation.”

Some common examples of intrinsic motivations include peer recognitionand personal satisfaction, while common extrinsic motivations include careeradvancement and salary increases.

As you can see, there is a direct connection between motivationand rewards.

Rewards

In addition to intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, there areother effective means of creating motivation, for example, SAPS, a convenientacronym offered by Zichermann and Cunningham for status, access, power, and stuff.

These motivators are especially effective whenthere’s not a lot of cash to give away. Statuscould include a preferred desk or office location, or the use of a convenientparking spot. Access could be assimple as lunch with a CEO, priority or VIPseating, or the earliest possible appointments. Power generally applies to the gamified environment; for example, agood player serving as a moderator of a forum. Stuff—such as small amounts of credit at popular cafes or onlineretailers, or even company-branded items, such as mugs and shirts—is an additionalmotivator. Final advice: “Gamificationworks better if and when we can align intrinsic motivations and extrinsicrewards, and we should strive to achieve that wherever possible.”

How does this translate into choosing the right rewards? Start withdetermining the intrinsic motivational state of the target audience bydiscovering the objective that motivates them within the context of thelearning, such as the bonuses and incentives in the prior sales example. Thenassign an increasing scale of rewards associated with their success, but don’treveal all of these rewards. When the surprise awards are announced, a newdimension of motivation will arise.

Summary

The success of games in the general marketplace has redefinedexpectations in the learning sphere, bringing with it a paradigm shift indesign. I hope that the best practices that I’ve explored here provide ahelpful framework to kick-start your approach to the gamification oforganizational learning.

References

Enders, Brenda. “Gamification, Games, and Learning: WhatManagers and Practitioners Need to Know.” The eLearning Guild, 2013.

Kapp, Karl. TheGamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies forTraining and Education, Pfeiffer and ASTD, 2012.

Zichermann, Gabe and ChristopherCunningham. Gamification by Design—Implementing Game Mechanics in Web andMobile Apps. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, 2011.