Gamification, Game-based Learning, Serious Games: Any Difference?

The success of games in the general marketplace has redefined expectations in the learning sphere, bringing with it
a paradigm shift in design. I hope that the best practices that Ive explored here provide a helpful framework to kickstart your approach to the gamification of organizational learning.
Given the combination of external market forces and impetus within the instructional design community, sooner or
later, every learning-and-development or training department will come to a decision point on gamification. As
always with new trends, there are discussions and disagreements regarding the details. So, if you and your
colleagues are in the midst of gamifying your approach and methodology, I hope youll find value in the best
practices that weve gathered and synthesized.
Gamification, game-based learning, serious games: is there a difference?
I attribute part of the motivation for the use of games and game-like features in learning to the increasing popularity
of sophisticated games via PlayStations and mobile devices.
This has led to a debate over the differences between gamification, game-based learning, and serious games. For the
purposes of this discussion in the realm of organizational learning, I propose that gamification, game-based learning,
and serious games are effectively the same thing, because, in a corporate environment, all learning relates to
strategic objectives and has a serious purpose, regardless of the level of gamification involved. As Karl M. Kapp has
pointed out (see References at the end of this article):

When you get right down to it, the goals of both are relatively the same. Serious games and gamification
are both trying to solve a problem, motivate, and promote learning using game-based thinking and
techniques.

It is true, of course, that playing a game for fun, entertainment, or to satisfy competitive instincts is different than
having fun, feeling entertained, or satisfying competitive instincts in the context of job-related learning. However,
the differences do not significantly alter the benefits of applying game features to (or building games for) learning
applications.
Why is gamification gaining traction?
There seems to be three main reasons for the increase in gamification: marketplace forces, the connection between
games and learning in children, and rising interest in games among adults. Lets look at these in a little more detail.
Marketplace forces
Estimates for worldwide spending on games exceed $93 billion in 2013, according to a report from Gartner. Thats
up from the $78.9 billion spent in 2012. The report projects that customers will spend $101.6 billion in 2014 and
$111 billion by the end of 2015.
The connection between games and learning in children
In addition to marketplace forces, even the most superficial observations of children reveal the obvious connection
between games, learning, and retention. Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham tell us:
So, can children learn from games? Absolutely. Research by Dr. Arne May at Germanys University of Regensburg
clearly showed that learning a new task produces a demonstrable increase in the brains gray matter in mere weeks.

And brain scientists the world over agree that games challenge-achievement-reward loop promotes the production
of dopamine in the brain, reinforcing our desire to play.
In addition to these remarkable effects, retention is improved. Zichermann and Cunningham continue:
Research by Wouters and others indicates that games vs. text-based knowledge, when tested immediately after the
instruction, are likely to have similar results, but when tested days later the game-based knowledge is better retained.
Rising interest among adults in games
So why, in the workplace, do we resist employing the effectiveness of games, and assume that seriousness is a
prerequisite for learning? Such resistance is natural, of course, given the general framework of corporate culture;
but, as the numbers from Newzoo indicate, a huge percentage of the population, including adults, are paying to play
games and, as we just noted, there is a growing body of statistical research showing the effectiveness of games at
improving retention.
What the demographics also show is that adults have as much fun playing games as children, even if the form of
such fun is more sophisticated. As soon as organizational misperceptions regarding time management and cultural
integrity are put aside, gamification becomes an opportunity to improve retention of key content or behaviors.
How to gamify learning?
Once your team decides to use games in learning events, youre ready to consider some best practices gleaned from
others successful implementations. Lets look at some of the basic elements.
Game mechanics and design

it is the mechanics of a gamenot the themethat make it fun. (Zichermann and Cunningham)

The first important lesson regarding game mechanics (the way the game works: its rules and operation) is that the
structure and dynamics of the game should have an appropriate relationship to the content. For example, if the
content objectives are focused on successful techniques for closing a sale, then the structure of the gamified course,
module, or lesson should have game mechanics and design elements that relate to sales, such as bonuses,
commissions, and other incentives and benefits.
Along the same competitive lines, earning a reward or prize may not be recognition enough for many participants.
As Brenda Enders points out, including a means for users to show off their achievements to others provides
additional recognition. The most common means of achieving this is with leaderboards. Consider some of these best
practices that Brenda suggests:

Make sure the leaderboard displays the behaviors and activities that are most important to reaching your
learning programs goals.
Use more than one leaderboard in your program. For instance, you may have leaderboards for each region
or office location, as well as for individual tasks.
Give everyone the ability to search for players. If players can only see the top performers, and cannot
quickly find where they stand in the rankings or where their inner circle stands, the effectiveness of the
leaderboard decreases.
Allow learners to create their own leaderboard participant list. This allows them to quickly see their
standings compared to their inner circle.
If your leaderboard does not refresh immediately (in learning solutions, many do not), make sure you
clearly communicate the updating frequency to the learners.
Wipe out leaderboards at the end of the week and give everyone a fresh start.

In addition to points and leaderboards, here are some examples from Zichermann and Cunningham of other game
mechanics that add to the fun:

Pattern recognitionpicking out trends or progressions in the gamified content

Collectingaccumulating badges or other objects that relate to the gamified content
Surprise and unexpected delightreceiving unannounced rewards
Organizing and creating orderdragging and dropping or numbering steps in the correct order
Giftingawarding points to other players
Recognition for achievementreceiving accolades for your successes
Leading othersshowing other players how to address challenges
Being the herosaving the deal or coming up with product improvements
Gaining statusbeing rewarded for your achievements

As you probably noticed, some of these functions are more than just game mechanicsthey are thematicwhich
increases our involvement in the content dynamics, where the bulk of the learning is delivered.
Interactivity and feedback
One of the cornerstones of any successful game is interactivity. The engagement level produced by interactivity
depends on a number of factors, including the sophistication of the mechanics, the appropriateness of the mechanics
to the content, and the challenge of the cumulative experience.
In a compelling interactivity, the challenges presented to a player provide an opportunity to achieve specific goals
within the game. When designing challenges, Brenda Enders suggests these best practices:

Configure your challenges based on the actions and behaviors that youre tracking.
Reward your learners for completing challenges and achieving the designated goals. Make sure that the
rewards you give your learners are meaningful to them.
Vary the length, difficulty, and completion time of your challenges.

Challenges can be heightened by generating a sense of urgency, such as placing time constraints on the interactivity,
just as with real-life deadlines.
James Paul Gee, chief games scholar at the Center for Games and Impact, Arizona State University and the Gates
Foundation, offers some additional considerations, based on his research, that effective games incorporate.
Risk taking: Good video games lower the consequences of failure; players can start from the last saved game when
they fail. Players are thereby encouraged to take risks, explore, and try new things. In fact, in a game, failure is a
good thing.
Challenge and consolidation: Good games offer players a set of challenging problems, and then let them solve
these problems until they have virtually routinized or automatized their solutions. Then the game throws a new class
of problem at the players requiring them to rethink their now taken-for-granted mastery, learn something new,
and integrate this new learning with their old mastery. In turn, repetition consolidates this new mastery (with
variation), only to face another challenge (Enders)
Elevate these freedom to fail interactions by:

Designing multiple attempts into interactions.

Providing positive instructional feedback when learners fail on the first attempt; giving opportunities to try
again; and, on a larger scale, providing the opportunity to retake the training until they have achieved the
goal and mastered the content.

Creating a point category tied to how well the learner is meeting the stated goals of the learning.

It is also critical to provide feedback that informs players where they are, ideally against a continuum of progress
using a dashboard or progress bar, etc.with an unambiguous message that they are heading in the right
direction. Game levels and other progress mechanics improve this messaging by breaking the larger story arc into
smaller, more achievable units. This feedback should be provided for behaviors and actions that the learners choose,
and not for their ability to temporarily remember or recognize information (Zichermann and Cunningham).
Storytelling
The most engaging games include a storyline to draw the player into the experience. To start, write a high-level
description of the storyline, the characters, and their intent, as well as the settings in which the storyline will unfold.
Also, according to Enders:

Aim for a compelling plot that creates a sense of tension throughout. The learning moments are achieved
by working through the conflicts.
Use characters to whom your learners can relate, so that their actions generate an emotional response.
Use a variety of characters, each providing a different type of knowledge, point-of-view, or support
function regarding the issues. Characters best present content by interacting with each other in a realistic
tone of voice.

The importance of a good story cannot be overemphasized. Human beings have an inherent predisposition for
learning in this way.
Motivation
Motivationin conjunction with mechanics, design, interactivity, feedback, and storytellingdrives widespread
engagement and buzz, as well as the successful adaptation of desired behaviors and the retention and application of
competencies.
What creates motivation?
Certainly, in the game of life, there are many different motivating factors, but within an organizational
environment, it is best to begin by quantifying the drivers for employees as well as for clients or customers. As Karl
Kapp points out, When looking at the research, it is important to distinguish between internal and external
motivation.
Some common examples of intrinsic motivations include peer recognition and personal satisfaction, while common
extrinsic motivations include career advancement and salary increases.
As you can see, there is a direct connection between motivation and rewards.
Rewards
In addition to intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, there are other effective means of creating motivation, for example,
SAPS, a convenient acronym offered by Zichermann and Cunningham for status, access, power, and stuff.
These motivators are especially effective when theres not a lot of cash to give away. Status could include a
preferred desk or office location, or the use of a convenient parking spot. Access could be as simple as lunch with a
CEO, priority or VIP seating, or the earliest possible appointments. Power generally applies to the gamified
environment; for example, a good player serving as a moderator of a forum. Stuffsuch as small amounts of credit
at popular cafes or online retailers, or even company-branded items, such as mugs and shirtsis an additional

motivator. Final advice: Gamification works better if and when we can align intrinsic motivations and extrinsic
rewards, and we should strive to achieve that wherever possible.
How does this translate into choosing the right rewards? Start with determining the intrinsic motivational state of the
target audience by discovering the objective that motivates them within the context of the learning, such as the
bonuses and incentives in the prior sales example. Then assign an increasing scale of rewards associated with their
success, but dont reveal all of these rewards. When the surprise awards are announced, a new dimension of
motivation will arise.
Summary
The success of games in the general marketplace has redefined expectations in the learning sphere, bringing with it a
paradigm shift in design. I hope that the best practices that Ive explored here provide a helpful framework to kickstart your approach to the gamification of organizational learning.
References
Enders, Brenda. Gamification, Games, and Learning: What Managers and Practitioners Need to Know. The
eLearning Guild, 2013.
Kapp, Karl. The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies for Training and
Education, Pfeiffer and ASTD, 2012.
Zichermann, Gabe and Christopher Cunningham. Gamification by DesignImplementing Game Mechanics in Web
and Mobile Apps. Sebastopol, CA: OReilly Media, 2011.

Gamification, Game-based Learning, and Serious Games: Whats the Difference?

With all the posts floating around on the internet from a variety of sources, especially from authors with elementary
understandings of the subject, its easy to get confused about the terms gamification, game-based learning, and
serious games. There are articles out there that essentially describe gamification as anything related to games at
work, leading to a very obscured meaning of what gamification is (and is not). Never fear! We here at Ronin are
committed to helping you navigate the waters of all things game-related and giving you a basic understanding of the
concepts and how they apply to the business world.
Gamification

Notice the levels, leaderboard, and caps (badges); Image source: Social Media Today
Lets start first with gamification. Gamification is probably the trickiest definition to nail down (there was actually
quite a bit of controversy about this recently). Well stick at this point to a minimal definition to encompass the
diversity of gamification. Gamification is at its simplest the use of game elements in non-game contexts to motivate
people. Lets explore that a little further. Game elements refer to a wide range of features prominent in games,
including progress, immediate feedback, levels, quests, narrative, game-like aesthetics, and yes, even those dreaded
points, badges, and leaderboards. Non-game contexts encompass any application of these game elements outside of
the game itself. Its essentially stripping away the actual gameplay from the game. Youre performing a task
learning a foreign language, coding, tracking sales, taking a training course, or engaging with a brand on a platform
that features game elements. The motivation element is key because gamification at its core purpose hopes to be an
avenue to use game design to engage people, to encourage them to perform tasks better or seek personal
improvement.
Game-based Learning

Our learning game, Company Retreat, is designed to teach a specific leadership model

The definition of game-based learning almost appears too obvious and self-evident as Im about to type it. Youre
probably already thinking it in your head. Its the use of games as instructional mediums. The game itself provides
the learning content, and by playing through the game, the learner masters the skills/knowledge the game is designed
to teach. Game-based learning does not have to be digital, although when we at Ronin discuss game-based learning
that is what we are referring to. Digital game-based learning has the benefit of being (generally) more immersive,
visually appealing, and providing tracking analytics. In the corporate sphere, game-based learning readily applies to
employee training and development.
Serious Games

Image source: University of Southern California

Serious Games is a term that encompasses games intended for more than entertainment. The term results from the
perception that games are solely for fun purposes and attempts to separate those which have a different primary
intent. While its often used as a substitute for game-based learning, learning games are really a component of
serious games, which also include games intended for social change, emotional health, or other non-entertainment
purposes. An example of a serious game that is not a learning game is Darfur is Dying. The game is designed to
educated players somewhat about the issues in Darfur, but more specifically it hopes to spurn them to action to help
solve the crises that Darfur faces.
The Difference Between Games and Gamification
Ill illustrate the relationship of gamification to the game as a whole further through an example that our CEO, Scott
Kohl, gave the other day in discussing the concepts. Its an example thats been used previously by others, but I
think its a particularly good way to understand the relationship. Think of March Madness brackets. Theres the
actual games themselves, and then theres the bracket competition surrounding it. The bracket competition is the
gamification of March Madness. You dont actually play anything; you make choices and often receive points for
correct picks and are ranked against your fellow group members. Without the actual basketball games, there isnt
really anything of substance there. The gamification is a layer of competition (although gamification is not always
competitive) on top of the basketball tournament.

Not my best year

Perhaps this example is somewhat confusing because basketball itself is a game. So, lets consider a bracket
competition without a game as the competition underpinning it. Imagine you work as an account executive and your
manager starts a bracket competition surrounding weekly sales quotas, and each week you compete against a coworker, with the person who sells more moving on to the next round. Thats actually not a very good example
of effective gamification that changes/encourages the target behaviors, but it at the very least demonstrates the
relationship between gamification and games. Gamification is the overarching elements (competition, points, levels,
etc.) that make up a game.
Hopefully this post helped clear up any confusion surrounding the different game-related terminology as it applies to
the business world. Please check out more of our posts for more detailed insights into game-based learning and
gamification!