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Gamification is a good way to increase your learners' engagement in your Blended Learning. It brings a social aspect and a willingness to challenge oneself.
A Brief Retrospective on Gamification
The word "gamification" was first used in 2002 by Nick Pelling, the British programmer and writer behind the game "Frak! However, the term is not yet used in everyday language.
A few years later, in 2005, Rajat Paharia created the first "gamified" platform designed to boost website engagement by incorporating gaming elements.
Finally, the word "gamification" became popular (it was about time!) in 2008 and refers to the use and reuse of game mechanics in areas that are not related to video games at first glance.
What started out as a small isolated trend is today estimated at nearly 6 billion dollars on the world market. Training has not escaped this phenomenon. In their quest to engage their learners, companies and training organizations are always looking for the perfect content.
Training alone is good... but training together is better! By forming teams, learners help each other and motivate each other to beat the opposing team.
Some applications of gamification within a digital training course
Storytelling: The goal is to develop a universe and a story specific to your training to encourage immersion and participation.
Progression: In addition to its practical function which allows you to situate yourself in the progress of the course, progression also allows you to motivate the learner who will be more likely to complete the module / course (and with more enthusiasm!).
The countdown: The countdown can go hand in hand with the progression and adds an extra challenge: the learner is limited in time and will have to challenge himself to complete his training on time.
Rewards (badges, certificates...): Although they are only fictitious, the mini rewards to be won at the end of the course / training are a guarantee of motivation and recognition, like the points won on a video game game for example.
The teams : Training on your own is good... but together it's better! By forming teams, the learners help and motivate each other to beat the opposing team (and thus to go to the end of the game -training-).
Customization : In the form of a theme to choose, an avatar or a personalized course according to the mood or the learner...
The possibilities of gamification are multiple... but beware!
Just because gamification is on the rise doesn't mean you have to gamify everything! Remember: you must first define the learning objectives linked to the training course. Once these have been defined, gamification can be considered.
3 key gamification trends
The gamification of onboarding: The integration of new recruits is THE concern of all companies. Well-being at work, reduction of turnover... In short, welcoming a new employee is an art. And that's precisely where gamification comes into play, to make the process more fun. You can quickly gamify your onboarding yourself by incorporating games, presentation videos, etc.
The gamified LMSs: For several years now, e-learning platforms have been an essential part of training, whatever the sector. It is now increasingly common to see these tools offering gamification functionalities to increase the rate of learner engagement and make the experience more immersive.
Mobile gaming: On the format side, gaming is creeping into our mobile devices and promises an even more personalized and engaging experience.
In short, gaming still has a bright future ahead of it and will certainly continue to grow in the years to come.