Types of Gamification to Drive Results in Your Workplace

Gamification is synonymous with e-learning and offers plenty of benefits to the table. But how can businesses practically apply the features that game mechanics offer to ensure you reap the rewards?

In this article, we’re going to walk you through how gamification enhances e-learning platforms and how to choose game mechanics that will improve your online training strategy.

How is Gamification different from e-learning?

Although gamification and e-learning are two distinct concepts they can be used together to enhance the online learning experience. E-learning involves the use of electronic technologies to facilitate learning while gamification involves applying game design elements and principles to engage and motivate users.

The primary goal of gamification is to make e-learning tasks more interactive, enjoyable, and rewarding by incorporating elements like points, badges, leaderboards, levels, and challenges.

By applying game mechanics, e-learning platforms can incorporate various types of interactive features, simulations, quizzes, assessments, progress tracking, multimedia content (videos, animations, etc.), discussion forums, and social learning capabilities to facilitate learning and knowledge retention.

These elements are designed to enhance the effectiveness and accessibility of educational content by engaging trainees and helping them to understand and retain information at faster rates than traditional training methods.

For example, gamified systems can provide immediate feedback, progress tracking, and performance analytics to users, allowing them to monitor their progress, achievements, and areas for improvement in real time. Feedback mechanisms reinforce desired behaviours and encourage continued learning.

What types of gamified e-learning features are there?

Rewards

Rewards, such as virtual coins, tokens, or virtual goods, are given to users for achieving milestones, reaching goals, or demonstrating mastery. Rewards provide extrinsic motivation and reinforce desired behaviours.

Trainees can earn points or badges for completing activities, modules, quizzes, or courses. Points and badges serve as tangible rewards and indicators of progress, achievement, and mastery. If you want to ramp up competition among teams, also include a leaderboard.

Alternatively, something as simple as a pop-up UI saying ‘Well Done’ can motivate learners and can be implemented in any day-to-day environment, digitally or otherwise.

Interactive quizzes

Interactive quizzes typically include multiple-choice questions, drag and drop & other interactivity. They are simple yet effective as ensure learners stay engaged.

Gamified assessments replace traditional quizzes or tests with interactive, game-like challenges or scenarios. Assessments measure learning outcomes while providing an engaging and enjoyable experience for users.

Educational games

Interactive simulations allow users to apply relevant knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios, experiments, or simulations. Educational games embedded in a simulation enhance learning by providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.

For example, our Biffa Waste Munchers app is a fun sorting game that provides essential training for managing waste disposal in the most environmentally friendly way. It’s a bespoke solution that is relevant to modern will users and offers a high engagement experience.

Immersive training

One rung further up the ladder to educational games is immersive training. Here, users are transported into a virtual world using VR goggles.

The virtual environment can mimic real-world environments and challenge users with a wide range of potential scenarios using augmented reality (AR) to immerse the learners in the subject matter with a high rate of retention & engagement.

How to choose game mechanics which work best for you?

To decide which gamified features will produce the best results in your online training program, prioritise the goal of your training. For example, immersive VR training wouldn’t be useful for file management.

Determine what knowledge, skills, or behaviours you want learners to acquire or demonstrate in their job role. Consider the type of content you’re delivering and how different game mechanics can enhance learning outcomes. Certain mechanics may be more suitable for specific types of content, such as simulations for practical skills training or quizzes for knowledge assessment.

Also, consider how likely users are going to engage with the subject matter. VR has incredibly high retention rates, which can be hugely beneficial with training like health and safety training or fire safety training.

Prioritise game mechanics that promote active engagement, interaction, and collaboration among learners. Social features, leaderboards, multiplayer challenges, and collaborative activities foster a sense of community and motivation.

Our recommendations

Plan out your content thoroughly before anything else – make sure the key learning that the trainees need to take away stands out in the training.

Test some examples that are freely available online to spark your inspiration. It’s hard to imagine what educational games and VR simulations could look like until you try some for yourself.

Work with a company that can help with all of the above. Sliced Bread Animation, for example, has a huge range of gamified training examples for you to try. Contact us today and start creating a gamified online learning experience that takes your training to new heights.