From an early age, games are used for learning. So why not use their fun side to reinvent today's training courses? This is the aim of the Gamification : learning while having fun, even for adults. Thus, by introducing various game mechanisms and techniques into their programs, trainers aim to acquire skills and knowledge while retaining the interest of learners. However, while some people derive their source of productivity and motivation from gamification, others persist in underestimating its positive effects in the workplace. What are the real benefits of gamification in vocational training? A few answers.
Gamification: The rules of the game
Neither an ephemeral trend, nor a form of infantilization of professional training, gamification is gradually, but permanently, anchored in the learning techniques acclaimed by HR and L&D professionals.
Indeed, in the age of infobesity caused by instant access to a multitude of online resources, it is crucial to know how to capture the attention and keep the engagement of learners engaged in providing training. That's where the operating principles of gamification. Also known by the French term “gamification”, this concept consists in transposing certain elements of the gameplay into a political or commercial context and increasingly into professional training.
Based on the principle that the assimilation of educational content is optimized while having fun, training professionals are gradually gamifying their programs by adding a competitive spirit and a fun dimension.. Thus, by making gamification accessible physically or digitally, they boost their training while significantly increasing learner participation. The different forms of gamification make the concept very customizable.
This concept of fun or challenge is most often characterized by challenges to be met or rewards to be won., just like to progress and level up in a video game. Thus, a common technique for including gamification in a natural way in training is to offer quests inspired by popular games like World Of Warcraft or to organize “duels” between learners using the rules of Magic: The Gathering.
Learning through gamification thus transforms activities or educational exercises that seem routine or boring into motivating missions that stimulate creativity. In addition, the appropriation of this concept by companies makes it possible to reinforce the interactivity of trainers/learners and learners/learners, also promotes the concentration and involvement of everyone, and allows counter the forgetting curve.
Did you know that? While you can play and replay an entertaining video game endlessly, an educational game ends at the same time as learning.
The gamification of corporate training
Within companies, gamification is of interest to managers, recruiters or trainers as well as to employees and consumers. An effective marketing tool coupled with an essential performance booster, gamification is essential by encouraging action while redefining behaviors.
Indeed, the strength of this concept lies in its ability to create a recurrence in habits and thus to retain targets. In this sense, it:
- Motivates the sales force;
- Increases the feeling of belonging to a company or community;
- Reward and reward the best players.
How to use gamification in training?
In order to effectively introduce gamification into a training course, it is essential to respect certain rules. In this vein and in order to arouse the curiosity of learners, The 3 P rule outlines the outlines of a promising project:
- Pedagogy : The DNA of gamification in training, it aims to create a stronger commitment while acquiring new skills;
- Plaisir : This playful concept triggers the motivation and involvement of learners in order to reproduce a phenomenon of addiction while keeping the educational objective in view;
- Performances: Precise and quantifiable, they are evaluated through a point system that establishes a feeling of personal satisfaction while encouraging learners to surpass themselves.
The 3 C rule listed below is also a good preamble to the gamification of vocational training:
- Challenge : Preferred to the principle of competition, it makes it possible to establish a concept of progression with an objective to be achieved;
- Gifts : This rewards system reinforces learners' motivation;
- Curiosity: Through intellectual curiosity activities, learners' involvement and emulation are stimulated to enable them to find the solution to a problem.
The benefits of gamification in vocational training
Companies that take up the challenge of introducing this technique note the improvement in the competitiveness and productivity of their employees. They also benefit from the 6 other advantages of the gamification of vocational training:
- Improving productivity : game dynamics in training increase learners' skills and thus boost their productivity through creation;
- The increase in motivation : through a system of objectives and rewards, the motivation and competitiveness of learners are stimulated;
- Stimulating creativity : thanks to the participation of learners in fun exercises, their commitment and creative spirit increase;
- Strengthening communication : intercommunication between departments and learners is becoming more fluid and improving, in particular through feedback;
- Promoting the involvement of the learner : introducing gamified techniques into training increases the learners' sense of belonging to a team and improves their level of commitment to the organization;
- The use of innovative dynamics : an emerging trend, game-based learning has the potential to strengthen the growth of a company</li>;
- The development of concrete skills : gamifying training is useful to allow learners to focus on acquiring or improving their skills;
- The transmission of the brand image : used as an internal communication tool, gamified training reinforces the role of employees while attracting future employees.
