Strategic Ways to Develop Game-Based Learning for High ROI

Games built with reusability and scalability in mind can be customized and repurposed across the organization at a fraction of the cost of building games from scratch.

In the 21st century, gaming has taken over living rooms across nearly every developed country on the planet. With its integration of art forms from writing and character creation, to design and computer animation, it's no wonder that approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population is made up of gamers. But gaming isn't just for teenagers in the basement. The average gamer is 30 years old, and it is becoming a growing trend in business to use this, albeit, recreational activity to increase employee knowledge and learning retention to unimaginable rates.

What it is

"Gamification"—applying game-based strategies and methods to e-learning programs for improved engagement and retention—is a new name for an old concept. For generations, games have been used to teach concepts, skills, and knowledge. Think Scrabble and spelling, Mastermind and strategy, and Clue and problem solving.

Corporations have been incorporating gaming as an informal part of their training programs for the past 15 years, but it is becoming a more formal part of the process today. Now we're seeing games that teach sales techniques, medical procedures, and even military propaganda.

Why it works

Research has shown that gaming, in the right context, can be just as, if not more, effective than traditional e-learning. Why? Simple: People like to play games because they are fun and challenging. Games also are effective because they give players the chance to apply their new knowledge and learn from their mistakes in a safe environment, thereby improving problem solving, creativity, risk assessment, and risk taking competencies.

Guidelines

The biggest part of developing any game, as far as budget and time are concerned, is programming the basic infrastructure. The average estimated cost for an entry-level, 15-minute game is $20,000 to $30,000, but simpler games can run as low as $5,000 while more complex games can run upward of $250,000 depending on scope.

However, a game built with reusability and scalability in mind from the beginning can be developed as a template for as little as $25,000 and then repurposed across the organization at a fraction of the cost.

If the gaming engine is solid and the new content doesn't require a change to the functionality, the original information can be swapped out pretty quickly to reinforce learning for a completely different subject matter, while still keeping the basic game intact. This not only increases the shelf life of the game, but also opens up opportunities for other departments in the same company to leverage the game for their unique needs with less risk.

For example, VIA recently worked with HP to create inexpensive and effective game-based learning tools that are scalable and reusable to be repurposed by multiple departments and rolled out globally. Because of the low cost of the revisions, game development is now an option available to all learning program managers within HP. They quickly can add one or two games to augment their individual learning programs with a cost below 20 percent of developing the game from scratch.

In addition to multisensory video and audio, there are three key elements to incorporate into the structural design when developing retainable and reusable game-based learning programs: narrative, challenge, and replayability.

Narrative. Stories stick with us. When done correctly, players get sucked into the story and experience an emotional response. This emotional connection to the game helps learners remember the information being taught.

Challenge. Humans are competitive by nature. We are motivated to win, whether it's by beating the game or achieving a higher score than our colleagues. But if we're going to take the risk and put out the effort there had better be a reward, even if it's just a sense of achievement.

Replayability. To really remember something, we need to repeat it a minimum of three times. Thankfully, the active learning element of games allows developers to use new methods to repurpose existing materials and ask questions a few different ways to reinforce appropriate behavior.

The process should be fun. But while it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of using game-based learning, it's also important to be mindful of how the game will integrate into the overall learning program and be perceived by the audience. Below are some common pitfalls to consider.

Don't overdo it. Respect the audience and their attention span. Don't try to cram in too much information at once. This just defeats the purpose. Instead break it up into smaller pieces and make it something people want to play.

Develop for the right platform. How will the game be delivered—iPad on the couch, laptop on a plane, or desktop PC at work? Make sure it will work and look good on each screen.

Don't go too far. Watch the tone and make sure it is appropriate for the subject matter. This includes both graphics and content. Games are inherently entertaining and often incorporate humor, but don't go overboard.

Don't forget the metrics. Part of the learning strategy also should include metrics. A common way to do this is to establish base line knowledge, deploy the game, and then do a post-test to determine knowledge transfer and retention after playing the game.

Results

According to the Kauffman Foundation, learning by doing through serious games can improve retention by more than 108 percent, making them an attractive learning tool to include in a training manager's repertoire. In addition, with some careful planning it is easy to build in ways to prove the return-on-investment of the game, as well as develop games that can be reused over and over again at a fraction of the initial cost.