Why training and play go hand in hand

Over the past few years, one word has taken hold in the corporate training and corporate game market: gamification. The idea is simple — bring game mechanics into products and services to make them more interactive and engaging. Gamification has proven its worth for building cohesion and creating genuine connections between team members.

Yet the mechanics of gamification at work have been around for a long time, just without the label. Role plays, simulated client meetings: these exercises all put the emphasis on learning by doing. Even e-learning, now a staple for more and more companies, relies on playful, interactive components to boost productivity and involve participants.

More broadly, play and learning have gone together since the dawn of time. Play’s most important function is almost certainly learning, ahead of any desire to be entertained. You see it in humans and animals alike. Play develops coordination and helps us explore our environment. When a kitten chases a ball, it’s really practising how to hunt. For decades, without realising it, the professional world was weaving game mechanics into employee training long before anyone called it “gamification”. Play helps a message land naturally, and keeps motivation high throughout the learning process. 

Super Mario Bros and corporate training: what’s the difference?

Why has gamification grown so quickly in companies in recent years? Corporate training has one particular need: getting learners up to speed fast. It’s not about handing them theory, it’s about putting that theory into practice. And for many companies, this comes with a serious constraint: numbers. How do you train several hundred, or even several thousand, employees at once and still be sure every one of them has genuinely grasped every concept?

This is where gamification comes in. Contrary to popular belief, play exists for far more than entertainment. Learning sits at its very heart. When learners become active participants in their own learning, they invest far more in it.

Play also takes the pressure out of experimenting. Because it feels “trivial”, a nurse, for example, can try things out without fear of harming a patient. In a game, failure goes hand in hand with success. Nobody finishes Super Mario Bros on their first attempt. Obstacles and setbacks are built into every game there is. 

Games follow a learning process very close to that of training: you discover a concept or a mechanic, you get to grips with it, you apply it, you improve. Once the first idea is mastered, the difficulty rises and a second one appears. And so on, until you’ve beaten the final boss — or passed your exam. It’s only logical that gamification has found its place in the corporate world.

What makes gamification work: game formats in training

Until recently, few people had looked closely at what play can actually do. As a result, there was a fear that giving games too much room would amount to mere entertainment and slow training down. Game specialists have since made its benefits far better known. Today we know which mechanics make training stronger: reward, competition, simulation, deduction, and plenty more. Each one brings specific advantages. The challenge for companies is working out which ones best answer their own needs — and how to put them in place.

We were recently approached by BNP Paribas Cardif for a gamified training project. The aim of the game: train every banking adviser in online wealth management. To answer the client’s needs, we designed a highly narrative digital game. From a website, players follow the life of a bank customer who has been poorly advised. Their mission: travel back in time and make the right choices to improve that customer’s situation. Storytelling is a powerful engagement driver, because it immerses learners in a story where they are the heroes. We also strengthened interaction with the content through narrative puzzles of progressive difficulty. Presenting a lesson as a problem to solve prompts learners to ask the right questions — and makes them active participants in their own training.

Gamification at work: solo or multiplayer?

Gamification now makes it possible to design game-based training for individuals or for groups. Either way, it keeps learners fully engaged. The rise of the serious game might suggest that video games — and digital more broadly — are the only solution that is both playful and educational. Yet while digital brings real advantages in data analysis, it can’t do everything. A wide variety of gamified solutions exist, including plenty of in-person activities. 

In-person formats build group dynamics and strengthen team spirit, unlike e-learning, which tends to isolate learners during their digital training. Learning together is a chance to share a moment that goes beyond the training itself. And that means greater involvement, too. Competitive or cooperative multiplayer mechanics now let you challenge learners as they compete and help one another towards a shared goal.

Game-based training fits every budget

Contrary to popular belief, gamification isn’t reserved for large groups with deep pockets. The challenges of group dynamics and team cohesion are the same whatever the size of the company. Today there’s a wide range of gamification options, and they suit every budget.

Developing an educational video game costs tens of thousands of euros, but more affordable ready-to-play solutions have appeared on the market. Gamification can also be used in a wide range of situations, from digital to in-person team building. That makes teamwork possibilities remarkably flexible, whatever constraints a company faces.

At Arcane Experience, we offer our clients ready-to-play games for teams from around ten people to several hundred participants. The price is only around twenty euros per participant, for an average of 90 minutes. These games involve every employee, strengthen team cohesion and help people work better together around a shared project.

Using gamification to build team cohesion

A great deal of research has been carried out on the importance of team cohesion. It shows that cohesion matters for creating a sense of belonging, and that it is positively linked to performance when the temporal nature of teams is factored into theoretical models. Overall, team cohesion matters in the workplace because it drives business success, improves employee satisfaction, brings people together and lifts motivation. Cohesion can be learned, though teams need to go through the process organically. Communication is essential, and roles must be clearly defined. A cohesive team can be small or large, based locally or across the world. Whatever the team dynamic, every member needs a clear understanding of their individual role and of the team’s objective, along with confidence in what each person contributes.

In short: the 5 main benefits of gamification

1. It makes learning fun and interactive. Whatever your audience or your subject, gamified learning helps you create content that’s exciting, educational and entertaining. It isn’t about turning work into a game — it’s about tapping into the psychology behind human engagement. Gamification in online learning gives learners the chance to engage with content in an effective, informal learning environment. And when learners are excited about learning, they’re far more likely to retain what they’ve learned.
2. It makes learning addictive. Gamified learning produces a natural high, and that high has a real impact on knowledge retention. When our brain wants to reward us, it releases dopamine. So when we win a game or achieve something that matters to us, we feel good. That positivity brings teams together more easily, because it makes communication flow.
3. It consolidates skills. Learning on the job can be a highly effective way to consolidate skills by applying them to practical scenarios.
4. It strengthens team cohesion. Sharing a playful moment with colleagues strengthens cohesion and encourages people to help one another. Those positive effects build team spirit, improve the working atmosphere and lift team performance.
5. It delivers real-time feedback. Gamified learning lets employees work towards measurable, meaningful goals in real time, and receive feedback from above as soon as those goals are met.