Posted by Monique on 09 Abril, 2021
They don't make games like they used to. At least not in the corporate world. This is what I have seen and even recommend these days. Employee training using traditional methodologies - with the classic "notebook, workbook, and PowerPoint" - is proving to be less and less effective. Their big problem is that they are predictable. People know that they will receive a piece of content, do an exercise, and then be tested to see if they have really learned. In a way, if the person goes with the flow of the situation, he or she will succeed, even without necessarily reflecting on and truly learning the content. For this reason, many companies are adopting gamification-based practices to conduct corporate training with greater efficiency among their employees.
But more than creating fun dynamics, it is necessary to think of the game as a way to build an environment in which the student needs to make decisions and has the possibility of making mistakes without generating any inconvenience. Gamification seeks to give elements of games to everyday actions, such as collecting points for performing tasks or "passing the level" by reaching a goal. Some companies have invested in this practice within their training programs, creating board games to encourage professionals to learn more about their area or online games that help them memorize certain information.
Previous research has shown that games do not necessarily produce better results than conventional training. This is probably because the game seen only as a fun way to learn ends up leaning more towards the playful side than the pedagogical one. In an attempt to make this learning more attractive, several companies try or tried to "dress up" their training, turning simple quizzes into epic battles, but which were actually nothing more than a multiple-choice test.
The power of games in the corporate universe is similar to what happens in the world of children. They need games to learn, without causing major consequences. They experience what is new and then put it into practice in real life. In employee training the same thing should happen: a situation is created that the employee needs to solve, but within an environment in which his attempts do not produce a negative consequence. This is the game being taken seriously.
Better known as "serious game", this concept works with games as learning tools, but creating complex structures that require the professional to reflect on his choices and deal with the consequences. The first serious game was produced in the 1980s by video game developer Atari. Army Battlezone aimed to train military personnel in battle situations. Today there is even an institute in England dedicated to the study of this methodology, the Serious Game Institute, financed by the European Development Fund.
Serious games can present several formats, but they always privilege the knowledge of the collaborator. A very interesting activity is the trial, in which each employee acquires a role and needs to play it with full knowledge of the proposed subject. There is the defense attorney, prosecutor, judge, etc, and each one needs to defend their point of view. This is a complex game, which requires dedication and even extra study on the part of those involved. By imitating real life, the employees live the experience and fix the proposed content much more easily. More than just memorizing, they are participating in a reasoning process that will lead them to understand all the information.
One of the main complaints of entrepreneurs is that their employees do not have a macro vision of their business. Unfortunately, a large part of the employees are concerned only with resolving what is closest to them, missing the opportunity to present a proactive behavior. With the use of serious games, these professionals are led to analyze situations of their work routine from other angles, experience different outcomes than those they are used to, and get to know the various possibilities with which they can perform their function. In the past, the main characteristic of a game in training was entertainment, today it is the level of learning that it provides.
Games stir up the competitiveness of the human being. This is a natural aspect that very few people do not possess. People want to beat their opponents and themselves, evolving to more advanced stages. As in life, games have also become more complex over time. This similarity reflects the trajectory of people's lives, making the experience much richer and more interesting.
Games deal all the time with the argument of uncertainty. This is a characteristic that makes them much more stimulating, because many times our routine is monotonous and we need an escape valve. This explains the taste that many adults develop for video games. But even though we almost always perform the same activities, life always has surprises in store.
The work environment is often volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. In English we call this the Vuca scenario. Games need to reflect these aspects of life so that employees know how to react in these moments. It needs to be volatile, because things around us change so fast; it needs to be uncertain, because there are no definite patterns; complex, because the volume of information we need to deal with on a daily basis is gigantic; and ambiguous, because there are no definite patterns, or the old "black and white" anymore. By dealing with these adversities in a controlled scenario of a game, the employee learns how to act when the situation becomes real. In these cases, the key to gamification is to develop a game in which several variables can be brought together. Think about it!
Fonte: https://canaltech.com.br/negocios/Gamification-no-ambiente-corporativo/