When I see the word gamification, the first thing that walks into my thoughts are badges and leaderboards. Of course they stand as the most popular game mechanics used for elearning.
But gamification appears just to be limited to Badges and Leaderboards.It’s not that the badges and leaderboards have failed to perform their functions, instead these game mechanics are used so frequently in the gamified modules as they are very easy to be used or integrated.
I believe many of you would agree to the point that many gamification professionals seem to believe that if you put points, on something boring, add some badges to every tasks or challenges completed, and finally to provide a competitive leaderboard and say that there is successful implementation of gamification.
Hence gamification is not about what game elements or what you put in, it’s how, when, and most importantly why.
The domain of gamification of corporate training needs to find answer to the above questions before implementing and choosing the game mechanics else the gamification is sure to fail without achieving the learning objectives.
Gamification in corporate training should starts by developing and understanding the things that drive and motivate the learners and by knowing how the learners responds to individual game elements. Only by knowing what feelings or emotions the users want to experience or interact with can determine the best mix game elements to use and these need not always mean the leaderboards and badges.
Organisations now adopts many other game elements apart from the usual leaderboards, points and badges. I remember a very reputed client of ours who asked to include the element of surprise rewards in the gamified e induction module after completing the challenges.These surprise rewards can be in the form of virtual cash, earning extra life etc.
Companies have started exploring the different options available like connecting to various other physical form of rewards like discount coupons,brand merchandise etc. Leaderboards are no longer restricted inside the learning environment alone, learners can now share their positions and scores in the different social media websites and forums too.
It’s high time that organisations and learners should break this myth -Gamification is limited to badges and leaderboards
Gamification is here to stay then why not start thinking beyond the badges and leaderboards
