Can Serious Games Really Teach Employees?
Organizations today are integrating game-based learning into everyday applications and changing the way employees work. According to the report, “Harnessing the Power of Videogames for Learning,” from the 2006 Summit on Educational Games by the Federation of American Scientists, learners remember 10 percent of anything they read; 20 percent of anything they hear; and 50 percent of anything that is explained to them by showing them the entire procedure. But almost 90 percent retain the information if they do things themselves, even if it through a simulation. Learning by doing is the best way to ensure long-term retention.
Game based learning is created in a way that makes it addictive. They make the learners apply the skills in a mock environment in order to improve retention and recollection of knowledge. Here are a few reasons why serious games can actually improve learning.
Learners are encouraged to makes mistakes and learn from them. As a result they learn well. The intrinsic value that is associated with game-based learning forces the learners to use high-order thinking skills for reaching their goals. Also, it is important for any individual to taste failure once in awhile. If they succeed all the time, the chances of complacency are high. They fail, they retry, they succeed!
The graphical environment coaxes the learners to apply environmental analysis to logically solve puzzles and complete objectives. Game-based learning helps boost visual learning abilities.
The levels and objectives are built in a way that they restrict the learner to a particular point till they actually succeed. It encourages the learner to try again and again till they master a particular task. This helps develop the nature of perseverance in individuals. They are encouraged to keep trying till they succeed. And this behavior is replicated in real life. Employees keep repeating their role-specific tasks until they master them.
These serious games are designed to offer incentives based on achievements. The more you succeed the more medals and ranks you get.
There are games like World of Warcraft that require the learners to read stories, clues, and so on. At times, they also require showcasing their writing skills. Either way, the game helps them polish these critical skills. Some job-roles are directly related to these skills.
Serious games are designed to create adverse situations for the learners. They challenge their ability to think out-of-the-box and overcome difficulties. Once they do this in a gaming environment, employees can confidently replicate the situation in real-time. And that is a critical skill coveted by all employers.
Games help polish this skill by coaxing the learners to balance multiple inputs at the same time. If they fail to respond to multiple alerts, chances are they lag behind other players. This is another skill that employees desire their employees to possess.
We offer game-based learning solutions aimed at a wide variety of learning results. Our experts ensure that your employees are motivated to learn and achieve the desired performance results.
