Gamification adults

Ever since we were children, we were inclined to spend a lot of time in front of video games, as they catapulted us into a stimulating process, and the idea of being able to make high scores and break every record pushed us more and more to play games to improve past performances.

As we become adults, however, we very often associate these games only with children, when in fact this gaming predisposition does not disappear entirely. Even as adults, interactivity and healthy competitions are appreciated, and people are more likely to compete if there is a reward, even if it is symbolic.

Gamification in E-learning is nothing more than the inclusion of “game” elements within training paths, with the goal of training users who play games by turning them around in a dynamic and active way while at the same time allowing them to learn things useful to their profession.

It is a methodology where the logic of play is used, working in groups and cooperating, establishing different roles and powers. Thus, an adventure is developed with a mission to be overcome, employing strategies to perform tasks to achieve set goals.

Translating educational goals through exciting challenges, along the lines of video games, then through the awarding of rewards, seems to fulfill the need for competence and increase the perceived meaningfulness of the task.

Having to accomplish a goal through play is not distracting but paradoxically puts the focus and implementation. With gamification, it is possible to segment the program into different levels so as to meet the needs for growth, activity, fulfillment, and interest.

The evaluation system is also less anxious because it is immediate and because it arouses the impulse to try again.

Acquiring rewards makes the approach to play less frustrating than using a traditional pattern. Rewards fix behaviors much more than punishments and unstructured criticism. Thus, one does not reason by arithmetic averages and irredeemable conditions but by skill acquisition.

Gamification also makes it easy to translate training demands into concrete possibilities, thus being able to make abstract concepts practical by originating immediately understandable activities that have useful skills as objectives for achievement.

This concept of Gamification, in recent years, is riding a positive wave in the corporate environment. In fact, many companies are focusing on corporate training using gamification to create online training plans with the goal of having their employees learn in a simple and intuitive way.

More in detail, many training courses have emerged that allow those who pass them to accumulate points and rewards. To engage the user to the fullest, he or she will take on the role of the protagonist, where they must reach various levels and earn more and more bonuses in order to succeed in reaching the final goal, which in this specific case coincides with learning new notions.

Gamification in training courses helps professionals create experiences that fully engage employees because it captures their attention more and motivates them to achieve a goal.

When people feel positive about their learning process and know that they will be rewarded in some way for their efforts, then they stop becoming passive observers and become active participants. In this way, they are able to effectively absorb information and fix it in their long-term memory, since the knowledge itself is linked to the favorable experience provided with gamification.

It is inevitable: gamification in corporate training can help make the learning experience much more effective. If people get excited, then they are more likely to actually acquire information. Even a potentially boring or complicated topic can be absorbed more easily, since the limitations that often hinder the learning process are removed.

Below are several tools that are used in E-learning gamification:

• Badges: Medals that users earn each time they complete a certain action.

• Scores: Increase the value of badges and can be used to establish a rewards program or rankings by creating healthy competition.

• Rewards: Used to further incentivize the user to collect points and badges.

• Leaderboards: Display scores within the platform.

• Contests: Creating contests within a work environment, where there are prizes, even symbolic ones, greatly stimulates employees in using the e-learning platform and participating in the proposed training plans. This will create a healthy competition within the team, and user learning will be very high.

  
  

In conclusion, gamification is a great training tool because it takes the essence of games, namely fun, creativity, challenge, etc., and applies it to professional goals.

Sabrina Sommario