Why To Integrate Serious Games In Corporate eLearning: 7 Advantages To Consider
Serious games provide a myriad of benefits, ranging from an increase in knowledge retention to a boost in employee satisfaction. They make online training fun, entertaining, and engaging for corporate learners of all ages. A well-crafted serious game can even improve your corporate eLearning ROI and transform compliance online training courses into enjoyable online training experiences. Regardless of your performance goals, employee needs, or online training objectives, serious games are a great addition to any corporate eLearning strategy. With an LMS that supports gamification and grants you with easy view of your online training content, serious game integration doesn't seem to be a complicated task. Here are 7 of the most convincing reasons why you should consider serious games for your corporate eLearning program.
1. Put Knowledge And Skills Into Practice
In traditional learning environments, employees must read about work-related skills or listen to lectures that walk them through a task. All of this information is not actually applied until they enter the workplace, which gives them plenty of time to forget what they've learned. Serious games give them the opportunity to put all of their knowledge into practice immediately, thereby minimizing the forgetting curve. Employees have the power to practice every task and skill that they will use on the job in order to progress to the next level or accomplish an in-game goal. eLearning simulations and branching scenarios also allow them to apply information in real-world settings, but serious games take it a step further by using gamification elements to boost their motivation.
2. Engage And Inspire Employees
Serious games give employees an ulterior motive to participate in the online training experience, which is to reach milestones or move on to the next level. While many employees may be driven by intrinsic motivators, such as achieving their goals or increasing workplace productivity, others may need some extra encouragement. Beating a boss or unlocking a reward gives them another reason to engage in the corporate eLearning course and inspires them to do their very best. Employees are more likely to focus on the task in order to claim victory over their opponent or collect all of the eLearning badges.
3. Create An Emotional Connection With Corporate Learners
One of the most notable advantages of integrating serious games into your corporate eLearning strategy is cultivating an emotional connection with your corporate learners. eLearning stories are usually the go-to online training activity if you want to make them feel for the eLearning characters, but serious games bring those stories to life. A well-crafted serious game makes corporate learners go that extra mile to achieve their goals and help the protagonist overcome obstacles. An employee is no longer just a passive observer who is watching the story unfold. Instead, they are one of the key eLearning characters who must use all of their knowledge and skills to solve the problem. They are emotionally invested in the situation, and this drastically improves knowledge retention and recall.
4. Simplify Complex Tasks
Tasks that involve numerous steps or skills are difficult to cover using text alone. Serious games allow employees to explore every aspect of a task or topic in a fun and interactive way. They can practice all of the steps involved and develop the necessary skills by progressing through the levels. Every in-game challenge or quest gives them the tools and online training resources they need to become proficient. For example, an online task that consists of 10 steps which are all time-consuming and complex can be broken down into 10 different game levels. The corporate learner is able to explore every step at their own pace and acquire the necessary information and skills. At the end of each level, they must conquer a foe or unlock a certain number of eLearning badges to reach the next level.
5. Build Problem-Solving Skills
Successful serious games typically include an obstacle, challenge, or situation that employees must navigate. These events tie into the subject matter and give employees the information and skills they need to overcome real-world challenges. As a result, serious games equip corporate learners with problem-solving skills that they use in every aspect of their lives. They gain the ability to see things from a different point of view and hone their lateral thinking skills. In some cases, corporate learners can even enhance their creativity and become better communicators. All of the online training resources they use to solve the problem in the serious game can also be utilized in the workplace. Through your LMS platform, you will be able to monitor their performance and adjust your corporate eLearning strategy accordingly.
6. Improve Performance Behaviors
Employees who participate in serious games put their strengths and weaknesses under the microscope. If they fail to complete a challenge or reach the next level, they must analyze where they went wrong and how they must improve in order to move forward. Employees learn about their performance gaps, which skills they need to fill those gaps, and what knowledge they need to achieve their professional goals. After assessing their behaviors and actions corporate learners can use supplemental online training resources, such as additional serious games or interactive videos, to reach the top.
7. Provide A Tactile Online Training Experience
Hands-on training is the best approach, especially when you are trying to teach complicated tasks or work-related skills. Serious games make corporate eLearning tactile, giving employees the opportunity to interact with the online training content in a more meaningful way. Rather than just perusing text, they have the ability to click on objects using the mouse, touch a mobile phone screen in order to explore the environment, and interact with eLearning characters by tapping on their tablets. All of these interactions make their online training experience more memorable and engaging, as it involves both physical and mental activities.
Serious games can only provide all of these benefits if you follow the golden rules of serious game design. To begin with, develop an eLearning storyboard to have a clear view of your learning objectives and how the serious game meets them. Then, use the right eLearning authoring tool, and choose the best game mechanics for the task. Thankfully, there are a variety of flexible eLearning authoring tools that feature serious game templates, which can save you time, money, and stress.
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