Games are an engaging part of everyone’s lives. Be it a five-year old or a business executive in his mid-forties, games have always been a stress-busters and source of rejuvenation. It is because of this all-pervasive nature of games that they make for an ideal form of communication.
A full-fledged structure of a game, meant for entertainment on one’s mobile or gaming console, consists of five key elements a story, objective, rewards, punishments and gameplay. On the other hand, a crossword puzzle in the newspaper would have no story and no rewards or punishments; just an implicit objective and gameplay. Both these constructs are games. So anything that fundamentally has a gameplay and one or more of the above mentioned attributes, qualifies to be a game.
Taking a step away from the technical aspects of games let us first get down to understand the relevance of these today. In the modern world, games are being used for a whole set of purposes other than that of only entertainment. Even the corporate world is adopting games for several functions, ranging from training employees to marketing services and products. Games for learning dominate this proliferation. A working knowledge about what a game is and how it is constructed helps in understanding how game based learning works.
Earlier, E-learning ensured that everyone with an active internet connection had access to learning content. However, this is not the reality anymore. In a world that is heavily dependent on mobile technology and interactivity, E-learning needs to reshape itself. It will be through this evolution that game based learning will become a definitive form of learning communication.
Game based learning (GBL) is already a $4 billion industry, encapsulating other smaller segments such as simulations and gamification. Simulations are large and bulky, making them expensive and a fit for only certain formal learning environments. Gamification, on the other hand, is a quick and thrifty method of implementing game based learning for short term gains. The true potential of GBL is harnessed when games are used as a medium of engaging and educating oneself. Learners play a game, and through this game come across concepts and quizzes that are domain specific and educational.
Today, game based learning systems vary in size, complexity and outcome. While the mainstay continues to be mobile focused, quick consumption games; larger games are constantly developed for a more comprehensive e-learning objective. Assessments for learning are being converted into games to make the whole process of interaction a lot easier and more interesting. Complex concepts are broken down into simple blocks for the consumption of the gamer/learner. With the gameplay as a backbone, players constantly indulge in gaming and simultaneously learning with no external stimulus forcing them to do so. Game-based learning is the future of sustainable and growth oriented training systems. It not only boosts engagement and the desire to learn, but also improves retention of concepts learnt. Several e-learning companies, both domestic and international are beginning to realize the value of using games in their content. What’s more is that most e-learning authoring tools are beginning to incorporate game creation as part of their core flow. It is yet to be known how deep the game-based learning rabbit hole is. But for the moment, such systems are here to stay, grow, and train.
Author Information:
Kamalika Bhattacharya Co-Founder, Ptotem Technologies “She has over 13 years of experience across various investment banking roles and has worked for leading financial sector firms including IDFC-SSKI, ICRA and ADP Wilco India. Kamalika has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad and is an Economics graduate from Osmania University.”
