Serious Games, Serious Impact: the case for serious games in online training

Serious games in online training: where this report comes from

In 2021, with the pandemic still setting the pace, Gamelearn (now Game Strategies) asked 1,000 professionals what was actually working in online training. Two profiles answered: HR people in companies across different industries, and HR and L&D consultants who work for other organizations.

The big-picture finding echoes the Contradictions of Corporate Training 2021 report: digital rules, but training needs more experiential learning. Asked how they’d innovate their training plan, almost 30% would pick simulators, ahead of virtual reality (almost 25%) and video games (almost 22%).

The report goes one step further: virtual reality still needs expensive hardware, while an online serious game only needs an internet connection. Real-life simulations, at a cost that scales.

Self-development: open the catalog and let people fail

How do you get people to own their development? The favourite recipe is opening up a varied course catalog to the whole workforce (59%). Next come learning paths that adapt to each person’s progress (31%), paths tied to a goal such as a promotion (29%) and letting each employee design their own route (26%).

The report picks up an idea from Aaron Ross, author of Predictable Revenue: build a “Mini CEO” culture and learn to let people make mistakes. With remote work, the challenge is giving them room to fail and learn without anyone getting hurt.

What makes an online course work (and how to measure it)

When choosing or building a course, applicability wins: 53% insist that what’s learned must be useful in personal and professional life. Right behind, almost tied, come an engaging format (40%) and access from computer, tablet or phone.

And how do you know it worked? 62% look at the skills acquired after the course. Then come the share of learners who find it applicable (37%), individual and group progress (36%), recommendation rate (22%) and completion rate (14%).

The report sounds a warning: many standard e-learning platforms measure these metrics well, but don’t help improve them. For that you need gamification, storytelling, simulations and personalized feedback.

Consultants and course creators: games as an edge

The second half of the report listens to HR consultants, instructional designers and content developers who sell training to companies. Their number one goal when building an online catalog is to stand out from the competition with original content and cutting-edge technology (24%).

The market is there: according to Contradictions 2021, 52% of online courses are created by external providers and consultants. Game-based learning gives them an edge because it keeps the experiential side of classroom training in a digital format: role-play in a controlled environment and constructive failure.

What impact do they expect? 52% think they’d win clients, nearly 4 in 10 that learner satisfaction would rise and 30% that completion rates would go up.

Authoring tools: gamify without writing code

Zoom, Webex and Teams saved the day, but widened the gap between learners and instructors. That’s why content creators are now turning to authoring tools: high-quality courses that are quick to produce and easy to update.

When choosing one, around half prioritize creating interactive courses with gamification and ease of use. Only 20% focus on integration with the client’s LMS. The report closes with the Editor, Gamelearn’s authoring tool, named Best Authoring Tool Solution at The EdTech Awards 2021, which turns any content into a video game with no programming.