Learning and development method: Game-based Learning is a game changer in organization training

Why Games and Why use Games?

Game-based learning ensures the learning of skills, as workers can put their skills into practice and learn from their own situations, decisions, and mistakes. Play-based learning and training not only ensures learning skills but also builds self-confidence. During the game, the staff understands how to use the skills and how to apply them in different simulated situations in a safe and risk-free environment due to its unique nature.

Video games can provide motivational categories such as competition, entertainment, fantasy, gaming preferences, social interaction and applications (Cianfrone, Zhang & Jae Ko, 2011). as well as stimulation, relaxation and anger management (Olson, 2010). In addition, games can provide types of relational, manipulative, immersion, escape, and achievement dynamics (Yee, 2006). which may not exist in traditional learning methods (Molins-Ruano et al., 2014).

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What game and how to match with the ambition of the organization?

When choosing the right type of game, organizations must concern about the characteristics of that genre of video games. It would be more effective for organizations to align this genre with their learning and development ambitions. The different genres will bring different benefits to employees and as well as to employers.

Genre of games

• Memorization Games:

Retaining information is an important skill of employees that can be used in the workplace. The memorization games challenge users to describe their findings, write down answers, name items, list matches and identify similarities and differences.
Targets skills to be developed: increase the memory capacity/Self-Awareness/Information Seeking/Problem Solving

• Judgment games:

Judgment games challenge employees to explain options, interpret data, compare answers, predict outcomes, identify differences to find the right answer issues. Through this kind of game, organizations will measure where employee skills stand and where improvement is needed.
Targets skills to be developed: Innovation and Creativity/Problem Solving

• Strategy Games:

The Strategy Games test and improve skills through puzzles, challenges, and solution-oriented activities. Players are encouraged to make quick decisions and react to the decisions of others.
Targets skills to be developed: Organizing and Coordinating/Decision-Making/Analytical Thinking/ Planning, Organizing and Coordinating

• Simulation Game:

The Simulation game puts the player in an immersive environment for free-roaming and collaborating with others. The player adopts the identity of the characters in the game and is presented with the storyline throughout.
Target skills to be developed: Teamwork/Effective communication/Self-Control/Self-Confidence/Conflict Management/Negotiation

Conclusion

The game is a remarkable instrument to train, develop and monitor employees and behaviors. Clear studies show that Game-based Training improves the knowledge and maintenance of employees. However, the training game must be carefully designed on the learning content where companies want to participate in their employees. The right marriage of the design and teaching style can create all differences in achieving training goals.

Employees do not think that training is boring or useless. Instead, they will engage with learning and development methods, feel their business is great and are more likely to volunteer for training.

 

References

Cianfrone, B., Zhang, J., & Jae Ko, Y. (2011). Dimensions of motivation associated with playing sport video games, Sport, Business And Management, An International Journal, 1(2), 172-189. 

Molins-Ruano, P., Sevilla, C., Santini, S., Haya, P., Rodríguez, P., & Sacha, G. (2014). Designing videogames to improve students' motivation, Computers In Human Behavior, 31, 571-579. 

Olson, C.K,, 2010. Children's Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development. [online] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1037/a0018984. Available at: <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1037/a0018984> [Accessed 23 July 2021].

Yee, N., (2006). The demographics, motivations, and derived experience of massively multi-user online graphical environments, Presence, 15(3) 309-329.

Youtube links: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=59dx5ftJ_84

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