The Future of Serious Gaming
Gamification is currently a hot topic; injecting an element of fun can make a process more engaging, focusing participants and transforming otherwise boring activities into something that feels more interesting and exciting.
Technology consultancy Gartner has projected 50% of corporate innovation will be “gamified” by 2015, a statement backed by Innovation Games, who went one step further to say that a top-level officer at each company should be dedicated to the field – adding, “I’ve come to believe that every company needs a CGO – a Chief Gaming Officer.”
Its not just tech-heads that agree; Neuroscientists are discovering more and more about the ways in which humans react to such interactive game elements. They have found that such elements can cause feel-good chemical reactions, altering human responses to stimuli, increasing reaction times, and in certain situations improving learning, participation, and motivation.
For Educators, this creates exciting horizons. For many years, gamification has been applied to training and education to increase the engagement in the learning process. Game mechanics, such as points, badges and leader boards, are being applied to course material to accelerate feedback loops and provide rewards. Course material has also been integrated into simulations, animations and storylines to further engage learners, all resulting in enhanced learning outcomes. With such effective results it comes as little surprise that experts predict that serious games will become quintessential building blocks of any learning curriculum.
A paper from MIS Quarterly Executive, a trade journal covering management of information systems, highlighted that: “by 2018, virtual worlds and serious gaming will likely be major, even dominant, platforms for business applications and opportunities.” Technology today is capable of carrying out tasks of increasing complexity – and these tasks will be able to be simulated and practiced through serious gaming, which has already been implemented in industries ranging from the military to health care.
As games become a more pervasive training tool, the industry expansion will create a continuing rate of growth: as more industries test the waters, the growing markets will spur more designers, innovations and new applications. Innovation is the heart of any good and growing business, and as Millennials make their way into the workforce, their familiarity with technology and expectations drastically change the way we must tackle learning. Businesses today are in a key position to take stock of their objectives and carefully utilize the technology and tools at their disposal to stay ahead of the “game”.
A Smart Guide to Serious Gaming: PART 3
A Smart Guide to Serious Gaming: PART 2
A Smart Guide to Serious Gaming: PART 1
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