No wonder more trainers are turning to participant-centered methods like gamification to engage audiences and improve results.
What is gamification?
Simply put, gamification is a training approach that adds elements of games and online learning to your training class to increase the engagement and entertainment of participants. Instead of teaching through lesson plans and lectures, individuals learn through interactive games, quizzes, and activities. The goal is to build a fun and rewarding learning environment that promotes engagement, builds skills, increases retention, and improves performance results.
Does gamification really work?
There is a lot of research showing that when gamification is used correctly, it can be very effective. In one study, researchers created a scoring system for different daily activities to measure the level of student engagement when using gamification in the classroom. The research clearly showed a link between gaming atmospheres in the classroom and increased productivity.
Another study measured the effectiveness of using video games to teach students with autism, and the results again showed that teaching using gamification improved engagement and outcomes.
Brain science and its relationship to gamification:
There are biological reasons for such findings. It has to do with how the brain receives and processes new information, as well as how game scenarios affect those functions. Let’s take a look at the science of the brain and its relationship to gamification:
1. Content segmentation to enhance information retention:
The human brain uses two channels of working memory, the visual channel and the auditory channel to process new data. When both channels are working, our memory can handle more new information in the short term. However, when we are given a lot of information at once, long-term memory finds it difficult to store it. One trick to make the most out of the brain’s processing power is to create training programs that use auditory and visual stimuli in short parts.
Most forms of games – whether group games or online games – provide ideal opportunities to use visual and audio content together in an organized structure of smaller parts. This will result in a fun and rewarding learning environment that enhances knowledge in the short term, and enhances retention in the long term.
2. Stimulating learning through feedback:
Certainly, comprehension and retention can only be possible if the brain remains actively engaged during the training process. Brain fatigue is a real problem in any classroom environment. Games are well suited to helping learners overcome this problem. Game elements, such as successfully completing challenges or earning rewards provide immediate feedback learners need to stay motivated and engaged.
Similarly, group games provide social and intellectual feedback that activates neurotransmitters in the brain, and enhances its flexibility. As a result, learners become more open to changing their way of thinking and accepting new ideas. Participants who receive social feedback are less likely to become withdrawn or bored during training. Research suggests that social interactions reduce inflammation and oxidative stress on the brain. This allows the brain to remain in a state of activity and engagement.
3. Rewarding continuous engagement:
Undoubtedly, the biggest reason why we love games is because they are fun, and this is also a biological reason, even educational games activate the pleasure center in the brain by releasing dopamine. Studies of the effects of video games on the brain show that dopamine plays a major role in stimulating the hippocampus, which contributes to the acquisition and storage of new skills and information.
More importantly, the pleasure participants get from winning challenges is often reflected in the education and training environment as well. When participants leave with positive feelings about the training experience, they are likely to value and retain the information they receive, and to be more excited about future training opportunities.
In conclusion:
Like any participant-focused training method, gamification is one of your training tools.Also, whether it is appropriate for the team you are training or the topic you are introducing is up to you to decide, but there is no doubt that gamification offers significant benefits to learners in terms of engagement, motivation, and information retention, all of which are necessary to improve training results. This will be a win-win for you, your team, and the whole organization.
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