Power up!Game-based learning design

www.brightwave.co.uk

Foreword 2

Why use game-based learning? 3

Story, characters and goals 5

Virtual role-play 7

Avatars and reward systems 9

Leaderboards, competition and

team games 10

Exploring virtual environments 12

Mobile games 15

Take-a-break games 16

Conclusion 17

Acknowledgements and further reading 18

Contents

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Games. Almost by definition they are nothing to do with work, right? But when it comes to learning, games can be powerful medicine. Foreword by Charles Gould, CEO at Brightwave

What are some of the most common

problems people have with e-learning

- or any type of training for that matter?

It’s boring. It’s not challenging. People

lose interest quickly. Yet, it doesn’t have

to be like that. There are lots of tools

and techniques we use when we design

e-learning to make it relevant and effective.

Games are definitely among them.

That doesn’t mean turning a serious subject

into one big game or peppering e-learning

with irrelevant gimmickry. What it does

mean is using competition, problem-solving,

story-telling, socialising and exploration to

stimulate and enhance learning. Now that’s

not as easy as it might sound. Your

media-savvy audience will spot a naff

attempt to sex up something dull a mile off.

But, as this paper explores, in the right place

for the right reason, clever game design

can be a winner.

3

Why use game-based learning?Alex Reeve, Blended Learning

Consultant at Brightwave

In recent years there has been an

explosion of interest in using video game

techniques (or ‘gamification’) to make non-

game applications more fun and engaging.

Gaming strategies can now be seen in a

wide range of contexts including business

(gamified marketing campaigns and loyalty

programmes), health (the gamification of

fitness through programmes like Wii Fit

and Nike+), government (the application

of ‘nudge’ tactics and behavioural

economics) and the military (war games

and simulations).

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So whether you enjoy playing games or not, it’s

important to understand how they’re shaping

the world we live in.

The concept of game-based learning is not

new. Effective teachers and instructors have

always understood the power of games to

motivate and inspire. From using chess to

develop strategic thinking; backgammon and

Monopoly for mental arithmetic; Scrabble for

spelling and vocabulary; to sophisticated driving

and flight simulators - games make learning fun.

The buzz word of the moment -

‘gamification’ - has simply reactivated

interest in how games can increase learner

engagement and influence behaviours.

In this white paper we’ll look at how

game-based techniques can energise

online learning programmes.

Throughout the paper we’ll provide examples

of game-based learning that has made a

positive, measurable impact. Some techniques

(such as immersive 3D virtual environments)

require substantial levels of investment,

while others can be produced quickly and

cost-effectively with just a little imagination,

planning and game-based thinking.

If you’re interested in gamifying the

provision of learning in your organisation,

this white paper will give

you some useful food for thought.

• By 2014, more than 70% of Global 2000

organisations will have at least one

‘gamified’ application (Gartner).

• By 2015, more than 50% of organisations

that manage innovation processes will

gamify those processes (Gartner).

• The average game player today is 37

years old, and 42% of game players are

women (The Entertainment Software

Association).

• Students recall just 10% of what they

read and 20% of what they hear. If

visuals accompany an oral presentation,

retention rises to 30%.

But if they do the job themselves,

even if only as a simulation, students

can remember 90% (the Federation of

American Scientists, 2006).

Fast Facts

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Easy to understand and remember In the same way that the novel defined

19th century culture, and cinema was the

dominant art form of the last century, video

games are the most influential medium of

our time. And what do all three media tap

into? The human fascination with stories,

characters and goals.

Many online learning courses fail to

engage because they transmit too

much information in an uninvolving and

decontextualised way, i.e. screen after

screen of dense text, diagrams and bullet

points. So why not take a lesson from

game designers and reimagine your

training course using a compelling story?

As well as being more fun and engaging,

research shows that stories are much

easier to remember than text and bulleted

lists. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Story, charactersand goals

7

Value your friends (developed for Belgian NGO ‘Iles de Paix’) is designed to raise awareness about the

plight of people living in impoverished regions around the world. The game allows players to make aid

allocation decisions and then see the human and environmental consequences of their choices.

The Sky Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programme shown above is based on a fairy tale

quest narrative. Learners must overcome a series of challenges in order to gain magic crystals and

free the princess. Who said that compliance training had to be boring?!

Virtual role-play Practising skills in authentic situations

So does game-based learning actually

work? Recent research evidence suggests

it can be highly effective.

In a major study, researchers at the

University of Colorado (Sitzmann T: “A

Meta-Analytic Examination Of The

Instructional Effectiveness Of

Computer-Based Simulation Games”,

Personnel Psychology 2011) found that

trainees who used simulation games

gained performance improvements over a

comparison group who were trained with

traditional forms of instruction.

These were:

• 20% higher confidence levels

• 14% higher skill-based knowledge

• 11% higher factual knowledge levels

• 9% higher retention levels

The beauty of simulations and virtual role-

play activities is that they allow learners

to practise skills in situations that feel

authentic, without fear of failure or public

embarrassment if they get things wrong.

This means that learners can take risks

and see the consequences of their actions

quickly, thereby accelerating the learning

process and time-to-competence.

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The Perfect Match is a video-based simulation which allows new starters at Sky to interact

with five fictional customers. Learners must select the right responses to customer questions to

complete these ‘virtual’ calls successfully.

Inside the Haiti Earthquake (produced by PTV Productions Inc.) is a first-person simulation based

on documentary footage from Haiti. It allows you to experience the earthquake as a survivor,

journalist or aid worker and features compelling content, high quality videos and branching

scenarios which make you an active participant in the story.

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Avatars

Learners sometimes complain that online

learning courses can feel cold and impersonal

- they miss the presence of an instructor or

buddy to support them through the instruction

process. One way to overcome this problem

is by using avatars or ‘learning agents’ to

personalise the experience. For example, in

Co-op Financial Essentials a virtual guide leads

you through each part of the programme, role

models best practice, and provides instructive

feedback.

Reward systems

Drop-out rates from online learning

programmes are notoriously high, so simple

reward systems can be a great incentive to keep

going. When the learner completes a topic in

Financial Essentials, virtual money accrues in

the piggy bank at the top of the screen. To hit

the top score of £500/£500 the learner must

visit every screen. This game-based device not

only shows progress in an interesting way but

also ties in nicely with the overall theme of the

programme, which is about the importance of

financial planning and saving for the future.

Avatars and reward systemsIn this section we’ll look at how game mechanics can be used to motivate learners to complete online

learning programmes and achieve high scores in assessments.

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Game mechanics can help satisfy our

desire for achievement, recognition and

status.

For example, Leaderboards offer the

opportunity to celebrate success and

encourage friendly competition. And as a

further incentive, why not award prizes to

your top scoring learners or teams?

Competition and team games

12

HEINEKEN Capability Academy is a blended learning solution which features the following

game-based strategies to equip new starters with core knowledge and skills:

• A board game, which has over 700 questions on categories including product knowledge,

brand awareness and sales skills. This game is designed to encourage collaboration,

discussion and competition between regional sales teams.

• An online quiz where players earn Leaderboard points by answering questions correctly.

• A visually rich learning portal, which hosts a wealth of online learning resources, including the

online quiz and a Leaderboard with real-time player scores.

Sky Get Up To Speed is a pre-joiner learning portal which also features a Leaderboard. Learners

are rewarded with points for completing courses before their first day at work. This means they

are up to speed and more effective in their role from day one. An evaluation of the course showed

that staff were achieving customer-related targets one week earlier (a 25% acceleration in time to

target performance) and an 11% increase in sales conversions in week one for new starters.

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Gamification techniques are increasingly visible in the latest generation of Learning Management

Systems where positive behaviours - like contributing to discussion forums, rating and reviewing

content, collaborating on projects, as well as working through courses and assessments - are

rewarded with points and badges.

By taking advantage of the social aspect of games which many players enjoy (see FarmVille, the

hugely successful Facebook game where players work together to build virtual farms), we can

develop team-building and cooperation skills that have practical applications in the workplace.

Total immersion

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One of the great benefits of video games is

the ability to explore environments (e.g. war

zones, alien worlds, magical kingdoms) that

would be difficult, dangerous or impossible

to experience in real life. Immersive virtual

environments also have a number of

practical applications for work-based

learning, including orientation and

emergency skills training.

Exploring virtual environments

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Lives at War is an online virtual reality learning resource (produced by Corporation Pop using

the Unity 3D game engine) which allows players to experience what it was like to live in Britain

during World War II. Aimed at KS3/4 pupils, this is a truly immersive learning experience which also

features fascinating archive footage and first-person oral histories.

Virtual environments can also be used to immerse learners in an organisation’s brand. HEINEKEN

Is Our World is an interactive and visually engaging programme demonstrating HEINEKEN’s vision

of a brand-led business. As well as providing a detailed understanding of the range of brands within

HEINEKEN, the course aims to help staff ‘live’ the HEINEKEN brand in and out of work. Moving through

different interactive worlds, the course shows examples of what living the brand means in practice.

In the Fire Safety game shown below, learners have just 20 seconds to follow the correct

procedures and escape the office safely. If they fail to take the right course of action, the results

can be explosive.

IKEA, The Missing Stock Mysteries begins with a customer who can’t find the item they’re

looking for. The learner takes the role of inspector and investigates the problem within a simulated

store, interrogating people and investigating evidence. Other scenarios follow, exploring different

aspects of stock loss and the implications for colleagues, customers and IKEA. Learners are given

clear guidance on how to recover lost items and prevent further losses.

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Mobile gamesLearning on the move

70-80% of all mobile downloads are now

games and the mobile gaming industry

is predicted to reach $54 billion by 2015

(Digital Buzz). So if you really want to

engage learners, why not gamify your

m-learning applications?

The mobile quiz shown here tells a story,

Monday to Friday. Each day becomes

a ‘good day’ or a ‘bad day’ based on

questions that are answered correctly and

incorrectly. Learners are allocated ‘three

lives’ with a life lost for each wrong answer.

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To increase engagement, a Leaderboard records top scores and learners are given the opportunity

to repeat the quiz as often as they like to earn bonus points.

Bupa’s pre-joiner portal also features a range of fun and informative games and quizzes which can

be played on tablets and smartphones, as shown here.

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Take-a-break games

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Spaced Learning

Spaced Learning is a learning method

underpinned by neuro-scientific research,

which emphasises the importance of

repetition and short breaks at regular

intervals.

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The basic structure of a Spaced Learning activity comprises:

• Presentation of key facts

• 10-minute break

• Learner recall of key facts

• 10-minute break

• Learner application of key facts

During each break, it’s important that the learner completes a distractor activity which uses parts

of the brain that are not being used during the formal instruction. For example, take-a-break

games like Whack-A-Cone can be used to let off steam and stimulate different parts of the brain

during lengthy online learning courses.

Research shows that by scheduling distractor activities like this into the learning experience, the

chance of embedding information into long-term memory is greatly improved.

When used appropriately, game-based

techniques can greatly enhance online learning

courses and delight learners of all ages. The

challenge for L&D professionals is how to

commission effective game-based learning at a

time when training budgets are under pressure.

While immersive 3D games and simulations

often require significant levels of investment

and production time, the cost barriers for

game-based learning as a whole are falling

year-on-year, with technologies like Unity,

WebGL and the 4G mobile network making

rich interactions possible on a wide range of

platforms.

And as we’ve shown in this white paper,

corporate training interventions can be gamified

very cost effectively using simple but effective

techniques including:

• Stories, characters and goals

• Virtual role-play

• Avatars

• Reward systems

• Leaderboards

• Board games

• Online quizzes

• Mobile games

• Take-a-break games

The application of game-based strategies

promises to increase engagement, improve

assessment scores and reduce drop-out rates.

By thinking more like game designers, we can

create more compelling learning experiences

that help support lasting behavioural change.

www.brightwave.co.uk

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