The 4 Important Questions to ask about Gamification of E-learning

These days, we hear the word gamification everywhere. What is gamification all about, and how does it change your learning experience? According to Wikipedia, Gamification is the use of game mechanics and strategies in a non-game context and in our case, it is training programs. We call these “Serious Games”.

1. Is Gamification all about fun?

Gamification adds the fun element to your learning experience while enriching your knowledge. Gamification makes your course lively, with the learning dynamically changing according to the choices you make.

2. Do we need to be a storywriter to implement Gamification?

You need not write a complete storyline and develop a plot as in a typical video game, but you can include a few interactive scenarios in your course that use game mechanics to help the learner understand better.

For example, if you are developing a training program for sales personnel, you can include a few screens where the learner will take part in a role play, similar to a real life context. This will help them understand the consequences of the choices they make, without causing damage to the company.

3. Is that the limit of Gamification?

There are a few companies that went beyond this stage and started using advanced gaming technologies such as motion-based learning (Microsoft Kinect) & virtual reality based learning (Oculus Rift). The advantage of using a simulated or gamified online course is that the learning takes place in a safe, virtual environment with no risk of losing your resources.

4. Can we use Gamification in any course?

Gamification will also help your learners by providing meaningful information that they carry along, even after completing the course. It is very important that you use gamification in the right context. It might not be applicable to every context, at least for now.

Finally, gamification is a wonderful tool that helps enhance the learner experience by facilitating better understanding. In the near future, we can expect to see more companies replace their current training programs with game-based learning.

Hope you find this post interesting. Do share your views.