The Use of Narrative in Gamification Design

Good games are framed around a compelling story. What do you remember from a training or workshop experience that you have participated in? Facts, figures, and statistics? Not likely. It’s the stories.

We learn best from the analogies and remember the stories. The Game the System™ model of Gamification allows you to design your training around a story.

And the good news is that you don’t have to start with a blank page to create your storyline.

Level Up Your Talent Development with Gamification [eBook]

Gamification can play a key role in how your organization trains employees when you learn how to think like a game designer.

The Game the System™ Model guides you and your team through the process of gamified learning design. By following the 5-step plan, you are essentially assured a successful outcome.

In this eBook we introduce you to each of the steps so that you can immediately begin to roll out the Game the System™ Model to level up training and development in your organization.

Gamification... What Really Motivates Us?

Jan Bidner and I met recently at the Gamification World Congress in Barcelona. We sat together at the first session and became instant friends.

In fact, we had the opportunity to participate in a Gamification Guru Panel, which you can listen to here:

Gamification World Congress - Gurus Panel Part 1

Gamification World Congress - Gurus Panel Part 2

Of course we had a lot of discussion about gamification and gamification design. Gamification is an amplifier of the core activity. Which means you have to know what the core activity loops are. Which also mean that the if the core activity is crap you will amplify crap. It is the core experience that we are designing for. 

Why You Should Use Gamification in your Corporate Learning Programs

The experts agree that opportunities in L&D to apply gamification are only growing, and more opportunities translate into higher pay. Trends project a continued employee engagement crisis, the arrival of Generation Z, the swell of Millennials, the departure of Boomers, and a greater emphasis placed on data and analytics.

Simply defined, gamification uses game mechanics and rewards for non-game applications in order to increase engagement and loyalty, solve problems, change behaviors, and achieve business objectives. Gamification is an important and powerful strategy for influencing and motivating people.

The exciting news is although Gamification is a NEW addition to an instructional designer’s toolkit, it won’t be a steep learning curve for most learning and development professionals, because you have been using many of the techniques for years.

Brains on the Beach - Gamified Co-Creation

“What would happen if we got a dozen or more experienced, talented and turned on OD Professionals together for a weekend to create all new approaches for a real client’s real business issue?”

 

The Answer = Brains on the Beach

In this episode learn more about Brains on the Beach from one of the original founders, James Bishop. Hear about their unique vision, how it works, what gamification adds to the process, and how you can become a Brains on the Beach Consultant!

Brains on the Beach brings together the best coaches, trainers, facilitators, business experts to develop workplace solutions for corporate and NGO clients.

To encourage co-creation between individuals, the experience is gamified. The GamesMaster finds the client for the Brains to focus their energy on a challenge posed to them and sets the rules of engagement.

Do You Need a Gamification Audit?

 Fundamentally, gamification is a technique to influence motivation and engage people to solve problems, perform certain actions, and have fun while on the way to building positive energy in the workplace. When implemented properly, it also enables transformation by encouraging voluntary changes in behavior, mindset or attitude in line with the desired outcomes.

 

A Sententia process audit analyzes your proposed or active gamification process against the agreed upon requirements. It involves verification by evaluation of the operation or methods against predetermined strategies or standards. It measures conformance to these standards and the effectiveness of the strategies.

 

Gamification is a complex process that involves multiple stages. It is necessary to understand the objectives of the organization, evaluate challenges in achieving the objectives, and to be familiar with the motivations of employees (your players) to reach the objectives.

Two Rules of Failure

Things are changing faster and faster every day, and there’s no slowing in sight. The bottom line for any company is… you can either lead the change or be collateral damage as the change rolls over you.

An individual or company capable of responding effectively to rapidly changing market conditions will operate in an environment where mistakes and even failures happen. You can’t expect yourself or other people to be great without making mistakes. In fact, failure should be expected.

Have you heard it said, “If you’re not failing… you’re not trying hard enough!”

The key to success in the face of change is to identify failure as quickly as possible. Fast failure is acceptable; slow failure is not. Failing quickly means finding a successful alternative quickly, before the failure causes too much damage. In most cases you can find another approach, another process, another solution that will work.

This requires two standard rules of practice.

Using Gamification to Transform Your Team

What do you do if your favorite things in the world are playing board games, solving puzzles, working with teams, and traveling around the world? That’s the question Dr. Clue founder and San Francisco Bay Area native, Dave Blum, asked himself back in 1995. Coming from a varied career in ESL, tourism and non profits, Dave got to thinking: “Surely there’s something I can create that incorporates all my interests and hobbies?”

And so Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts was born. (www.drclue.com)

According to a recent Gallup poll, active employee disengagement is costing U.S. businesses an estimated $500 billion annually.

Luckily it does NOT have to be that way.