Electronic and video games are very popular. Training designers that apply game development principles to training design will produce innovative training modules that will appeal to a broad audience but especially to younger generations in the employee population. The provocative ingredients that make electronic games so popular and addictive can be used to design training that engages and excites employees when learning a new concept or process. Training that is fun is engaging.
Some of the principles of electronic or video game designs that can be translated into training design are:
- Start with Presenting a Problem to the Learner
- Tell the Learner a Story
- Build Anticipation and Surprise When Delivering Content
- Simple to Complex – Allow Learners of Different Levels to Find a Challenge that Fits
- Force Learners to Review and Practice to Learn
Start with Presenting a Problem to the Learner
Moving away from a lecture format of teaching, it is important to be less of a “talking head” and more of a facilitator with learning. Video game designers understand how to engage a player immediately by presenting a challenge that they need to solve in order to proceed. This strategy respects and takes advantage of the intelligence and prior learning of the learner: by asking them for the answer, not telling them the solution.
For example, when designing training to onboard or to orient new employees, start off the training by giving the new employees a scavenger hunt where they need to find the location of important staff, equipment or departments. Alternatively, they could work in pairs or teams of three or four to solve a problem the company or organization is facing: like decreased sales in a particular market, competition from an industry giant or a production or procedure that is presenting a challenge to management. Allowing new employees to learn about an organization as they creatively problem solve will not only engage them in the information they are learning but may even provide an innovative solution to a challenging problem.
Tell the Learner a Story
Storytelling is a powerful tool with video games and a way to help a learner relate to information. Stories can paint a picture of an experience, challenge or solution. The mental image can be a powerful way for a learner to understand possible next steps or barriers to solutions. Using case studies that involve characters that are described in a colourful way will help the learner remember the key concepts.
For example, when teaching sales techniques to new sales staff, you could create a character “Bill the Butcher” who butchers a sale by not listening to the customer and giving inaccurate information about the company’s products or services. Ask the learner to suggest other ways that Bill could butcher the sale or to identify the inaccurate information that Bill has told the customer.
Build Anticipation and Surprise When Delivering Content
Video games keep the learner engaged by the element of surprize as they accomplish the tasks within a level of the game. Often new tasks present new obstacles that need to be overcome creatively. Challenge the learning by providing a twist in a case scenario or simulation exercise such as not providing learners with key pieces of information or a tool they need where they need to improvise. Or start by building anticipation that they are on the correct path and lead them to expect one solution or outcome but then challenge them to think outside the box by presenting a new challenge they didn’t see coming.
For example, if the training intends to teach them a new process, start by outlining the steps to the process. Then give them an example that follows the first few steps of the process but then stump them with not providing a key piece of information or tool they need to continue working through the exercise.
Simple to Complex – Allow Learners of Different Levels to Find a Challenge that Fits
Video games are designed to have different levels of challenge. This allows inexperienced players to build on the knowledge gained in easier levels. Use this same principle when designing training. This will allow experienced learners to skip through the basic, lower level materials quickly as a review of past experience or knowledge and slow down when the learning becomes more challenging.
Using the sales techniques example, start by asking learners to identify the benefits to a product or service that is easy to understand and a popular product or service. End with a quiz that they must get 100% on before proceeding to learn about the next product or service. Build on the basic selling concepts by introducing more complicated products or services where more and more details need to be understood and communicated to buyers and the quizzes become more and more difficult to pass.
Allow Learners to Review and Practice to Learn
Electronic game designers understand that to keep the player playing, they need to allow for error and experimentation. Training designers that understand that mistakes are good as they lead to learning and build in the ability for learners to experiment and practice will help hands on or kinesthetic learners grasp new concepts. Innovation and creativity is fostered when the ability to try an unorthodox solution is allowed.
For example, when teaching a new computer program, provide practice data and simulated exercises in a sandbox or safe copy of the software that trainees can experiment in and not cause data pollution.
Designing training that appeals to learners using the principles of electronic game development means that the training will engage and create a learning environment that goes beyond a lecture.
References:
Improving Training: Thinking Like a Game Developer, Training Industry Quarterly, Fall 2011
Designing Video Games for Dummies
The 13 Basic Principles of Gameplay Design
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