Gamification has become one of e-learning’s hottest buzzwords, but getting your head in the game can seem like a daunting and expensive prospect for many organisations.
Our recipe will help ensure you’re fully prepared to embrace this exciting element of learning technologies for truly game-changing learning.
Ingredients
- An LMS or platform on which to host the game
- Game design software
- A game designer
- A graphics expert
- An open-minded audience
Preparation
- Play other games designed with similar objectives to yours in mind to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t as a real player
- Decide on a realistic approach based on your budget and timeframes. The more complex the game, the more expensive it will be to build
- Work out how you can communicate your learning message effectively using game mechanics. Will it be a simulation? A puzzle game? An open-world exploration game?
Method
- Start small – get the basic game mechanics right and test with a pilot group before spending your entire budget
- Build failure into the game. Failure provides effective learning opportunities
- Ensure the theme is engaging and cohesive with the objective of the game
- Introduce shareable elements to encourage competition, such as leaderboards, points, badges and rewards
- Allow the game to collect data on performance to find out how people are performing and interacting with it
Serve and enjoy!
- If the game is a success, consider adding more levels or challenges to enrich the learning experience
- Secure testimonials from the most engaged players to help promote the game
Download the gamification recipe
Enjoyed this recipe? Feel free to share it on social media using #TotaraRecipe to help any colleagues or connections looking to get started with gamification.
