As with the education sector, corporate training is getting a major overhaul. Thanks to the rise in popularity of electronic devices, traditional training tactics are no longer the 'only way'. Using serious games for training purposes not only allows businesses to make the training experience more exciting, but it helps companies appeal to the growing number of millennials entering the work force.
When it comes to creating and developing serious games that will prove to be successful in the work force, there are a handful of things to consider before starting. Having a clear definition of the game objectives is perhaps the most important step, as this will define every other aspect of the serious game. If a game is not developed with a particular objective in mind (whether it is to help increase sales, inform employees of a change in regulation, or solve a particular problem, for example), then chances are the game will not work as effectively as you would like.
What is the Objective?
Having a well-designed and thought out game is oftentimes not enough. If you’re looking to create a successful serious game that conveys necessary information in a manner that encourages user response and engagement, you’ll want to have a well-defined objective laid out.
You should first decide what you’re looking to get out of the game. For example, are you going to be using a game to increase company sales and introduce a new sales strategy, or will it be teaching something specific to your employees? Once you have determined what purpose you have in mind for the game, then you can move on to the next steps. Having a clearly defined goal or objective in place will allow you to make better strategic decisions throughout the duration of the training, as well as deliver the right features and identify the most effective training methods.
What Are the Best Tactics for Conveying Your Information?
Once you have a clear objective in mind, you can work on deciding what the best tactics will be for conveying your desired information. Whether it's requiring users to complete simple puzzles or more complex tasks and activities, it is important to understand which will work best for your purposes and your audience. Matching the right experiences and tasks to your audience can be challenging, which is where the following tip will come in handy.
Who is Your Audience?
In order to be successful with a serious game in training scenarios, it is important to understand your desired audience. You could have the most effective and amazing game designed, but if you did not take into consideration your intended audience, chances are it could fall flat. Designing with your audience in mind will help keep user frustration at bay, and you will have a better chance of encouraging meaningful user engagement and interaction, leading to a successful game.
Which Platform is Best?
Now that you have your game objective and intended audience in place, it is time to look at which platform will be best. For example, can your audience only access the game through the web, or can they play it on a mobile device? Does the content need to be refreshed on a regular basis, and is there a time requirement or limit for the game to be completed in? Answering these questions and other similar ones will help you decide which platform will be the most effective for your particular game, and for your specific audience. As you are trying to encourage engagement and motivate your audience, it is a good idea to go over all of these different components.
There are numerous factors that contribute to a game's success, and being aware of what these are will help you achieve your desired goal. Having a clearly defined objective, knowing your audience, understanding which tactics will work best, and using the right platform are all important things to consider when developing a serious game, and they will undoubtedly play a role in your overall success. These things all require research and an investment of both time and resources, but it will be well worth it in the end.