Game Based Learning and Gaming Design Trends Predictions and Expertise

Game based Learning and Gaming Design: Trends, Predictions, and Expertise

Game based Learning beyond 2022

What are some of the upcoming trends for game based learning?
For gaming, this is an exciting time and unsurprisingly, we’re seeing a lot of evolution. Most games are going mobile-first due to the exponential growth in smartphone usage. As handheld devices such as phones, tablets, and phablets evolve, so does the presentation of content within a game. Large leaps in mobile bandwidths can accommodate the complex, high-quality game art we’re seeing today. 

There are also many Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) games being developed and consumed these days. As organizations shift toward more learning in the flow of work, these high-impact AR/VR games can prove effective in product training and process training for complex industries. 

Cloud-based collaborative gaming within learning is gaining momentum too, especially due to dispersed teams and employees working from home. The idea is to give employees a virtual space where they can come together as a team, as competitors, and as leaders, and just play and learn. 

When it comes to trends in gaming design, we are seeing a rise in minimalism or microlearning concepts and creation of very short games to deliver high-impact messages. 

With metaverse and other virtual reality multiverses, this field is now wide open with lots and lots of opportunities. Not only gaming community but organizations can also leverage the benefits of these new advancements. 

You’ve been in gaming for about a decade now, in what ways have game based learning changed from what they were to what they are now?
Earlier, the game based learning would center around the subject matter and the topics that needed to be covered. This had a tendency to make the game information-heavy and caused the learner to lose interest. 

Today, game based learning is centered around the learner. Game designers take into account the players’ behavioral habits and what would entice engagement. We focus on what actions will cause a learner to understand a concept, apply it properly, and remember it.

Do you foresee an increase in demand for game based learning after the pandemic?
Games became a sort of sensation during the lockdown and this has caught the attention of learning departments across the world. We have seen people come together through cloud gaming and this shows immense potential in solving some of today’s biggest learning challenges.  So naturally, we are seeing a lot of requests to gamify existing content – this is a much easier undertaking and can liven up learning content instantly. Also, during the pandemic, organizations have struggled to conduct training, learning and development initiative as before. This has also led to their interest in moving towards game based learning to make the learning experience fun and deliver key messages in a simpler and effective way. 

We anticipate that more organizations will shift to entirely digitally-driven learning mechanisms in the immediate future. This will throw the spotlight on serious games as a way to build collaboration within teams and ensure engaging learning experiences. There are also many new ideas on incorporating games into learning content that we are currently experimenting with. So we are definitely preparing for an uptick in game based learning and gamification in general. 

Game based Learning and their ROI 

What are companies looking for right now?
Many times clients come to us to find out how they can boost existing content through gamification. They look to work in some excitement and engagement, maybe through an interesting game wrapper. We often incorporate leader boards, clickable objects, points, collectible badges, shareable scorecards, etc. to meet these needs. 

Assessment games have been generating a lot of buzz too. They are relatively easy to create and deploy. It’s a good way to liven up an otherwise dull subject. 

What are some of the questions that surround the development of a game based learning module? 
Clients who approach us with the requirement of a game based learning solution are often well aware of the benefits of gamification in learning. In such cases, the questions usually revolve around game design, a unique innovation in game development, and what differentiates us from competitors. 

But sometimes, we see certain eLearning requirements come in, and immediately we can tell that a game based learning approach would be more effective than the regular one. There is always initial skepticism from them about whether a game based learning approach really works. As learning solution experts, we then need to show clients the benefits involved in adapting that particular content for a game. These conversations revolve around the ROI generated from a game based learning module, the stickiness of content, and driving motivation and engagement through games. 

What are the misgivings that clients have about game based learning? 

• One of the misgivings is that games are not suited for certain target audiences. We see this a lot when developing leadership training. Learning departments wonder if game based learning and gamification are serious enough for leadership development. 
• Another misgiving is that turning critical learning information into games will somehow detract from the overall seriousness of the subject matter. This one is particularly a common misconception because games are the perfect platform to depict the consequences and hazards associated with ignoring critical information. 
• Organizations also think that game based learning and gamification are very expensive and effort-intensive to develop and deploy. Again, this depends on a number of factors. For certain content, you can have very high-impact gamification elements added to existing content that will serve the purpose better than building a whole new game from scratch. 

Game design and learning: 

1. How do you structure game design to ensure learning?
Most people who make up our target audience are not gamers, and therefore the games we design need to be uncomplicated and suitable for a wide audience. The other important aspect we need to keep in sight when designing a game is to develop relatable themes and game ideas for our target audience. The level of gameplay (i.e. mechanics) needs to be kept simple so that the players don’t get overwhelmed by the gameplay and lose out on learning. If the mix is not right, then there is a danger that players may spend too much of their mental bandwidth on playing the game, and the subject matter is side-lined. Our online games for training are created using our tried and tested guiding principles. 

2. What considerations go into designing games for the multigenerational workforce?
here are various factors that go into designing online games for training that can be catered to all age groups. We often encounter a situation where the older generation is a bit hesitant in trying out new methods and game based learning is one of them. So, in order to design games that can be used by the multigenerational workforce, we keep these things in consideration, 

• The theme should appeal to players across age groups. 
• Game mechanics should be intuitive and the right amount of challenging – not too easy, not too difficult. 
• The behavioral habits of the target audience should be used to build the gaming prototype. For this purpose, the client’s inputs and feedback are necessary in order to build a game that is meaningful and informative. 

3. What are some absolute DON’Ts of gaming design?
You will not be able to reap all the benefits of game based learning if you don’t follow some best practices while designing the games for your clients. If there are do’s then there are also some don’t that has to be taken care of. Some of the common things that companies should definitely avoid while designing a game are,

• A convoluted or over-the-top backstory or theme for the game. 
• Tacky game art. 
• Overuse of input devices to interact with the game. 

Is MPS Interactive doing anything different in the game based learning or gaming space?
We have over 30 years of experience in creating content and that gives us more freedom to innovate and experiment. I would say, the three differentiators of our game based learning solutions are our quirky backstories, great game art and visual design, and solid instructional design that scaffolds the game design. But most of all, our games deliver the results that clients are expecting and the industry knows us for this.

To know more about game based learning and gamification, write to us at marketing@mpsinteractive.com.

– By Durgesh Nadkarni, Vice President – Game Design at MPS Interactive Systems