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10 Reasons Why Games Will Make You a Training Hero

Here are 1o the reasons why games improve employee engagement.

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) estimates that companies spent an average of $1,299 per year per employee on training in 2019. However, without “practical follow-up or meaningful assessments,” learners lose 90% of the skills they learn in those programs. To be more effective, you need to invest in game-based learning strategies and gamification that are proven to increase engagement, improve knowledge retention and deliver business results.

Games and gamification are like the jelly to your peanut butter sandwich.
They just make the training taste better.

1. Games Improve Engagement

Games put learners in the center of the action. They challenge them to use their knowledge and skills to overcome obstacles, and to try again when they fail. When learners are emotionally and mentally engaged, they are more likely to absorb knowledge and retain what they have learned.

2. Game Provide Feedback and Rewards

Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit,” explains that in order to change a habit, we must first set a goal and then reward ourselves for accomplishing it. Training games provide a playground for employees to practice skills, achieve predefined goals, and earn rewards. Immediate feedback keeps learners on track, and goal-setting motivates them to improve their score—while increasing knowledge retention and performance.

3. Games Can Be Played Anywhere

Mercer’s 2018 global talent trends survey found that “most employees want their company to offer more flexible work options,” and now with Covid19, this is more important than ever. With the increase in flexible work, employees also need more flexible learning. Organizations can deploy training games on phones, tablets, and desktop computers, enabling employees to play and learn whenever and wherever

4. Games are an Effective Form of Microlearning

Today’s learners have several competing demands on their attention. A series of short, highly-focused games reduces cognitive overload by driving home key points one step at a time, whenever the learner is ready to receive them. Read more about microlearning and online training games here.

5. Games Provide Rich Actionable Data

Games provide you with rich data that unveil patterns of engagement and behavior, and reveal knowledge gaps. You can look at individual games and players, or compare different groups. As you learn more about your employees and how they interact, you can adjust your training strategy, leverage skills more effectively, and optimize your return on investment (ROI).

6. Games Provide a Practice Playground

Games provide a fun, safe space for employees to learn and be tested on:

Products & processes
Interpersonal skills
Critical thinking
Problem-solving
Collaboration

8. Games Keep Learners Coming Back Again & Again

Repetition is key to retention. The best training games are fun and fast, helping learners digest your message and improve prescribed skills; and when designed right, they keep learners coming back over and over again.

9. Games Provide Storytelling That Help Learners Connect with Content

Stories help learners connect with and recall content by allowing them to visualize themselves in a situation. Games, like any good story, provide context, conflict, and resolution that serve to capture and maintain attention. Research has found that training games, which require learners to practice by doing, can have a significant positive impact on training outcomes.

10. Games Engage Attendees at Live Events or for Live Training

Effective instructor-led training is not about being the “sage on the stage”–it’s about being the “guide on the side,” leading participants to water instead of blasting them with the fire hose. Games are a fantastic way to engage your learners at company meetings and training conferences. Our game-authoring tool, The Training Arcade® has a library of 10 pre-built game templates, 2 of which (JEOPARDY!® and Trivia) can be used for virtual training or live events.

"Using Jeopardy in the new Instructor Mode with our trainer and team challenges is instrumental in helping the team learn and get them excited about learning. What really attracted me to The Training Arcade was the CMS backend, the analytics part of it- where we can just go in and dive deep to see which questions were answered incorrectly the most. We fell in love with everything that is in The Training Arcade, it's fun, really fun."

Walter Gill Learning Technology Manager, Barclaycard

“We needed attention-grabbing content to help draw attendees into our booths and multiple events worldwide. I deployed the Jump and Match games on behalf of a leading Fortune 100 processor company. These games were high-powered magnets drawing and keeping people in our booth. Thousands of techies have lined up to play the games and had tons of fun while learning!”

Malissa Shaw Sr. Marketing Consultant MMOD LLC

“What I love about The Training Arcade is that everything is already done. I knew that I was bringing a pre-built program to the firm and all we had to do was pop in our information. The Training Arcade allows us to drill down on very important concepts and definitions that otherwise seem monotonous or boring to learn. The Training Arcade makes it fun and the feedback we’re getting is phenomenal. It’s another tool in our toolbox that impacts employees at this firm and the clients that they work with.”

Elizabeth Hiza Chief of Staff at Barnum Financial Group

“Today we held our monthly sales meeting. Team members shared feedback on The Training Arcade games saying that they are fun, the points are motivating, and that each experience made them lean-in and think. Overall, we think it’s a very engaging platform for learning!”

Patrick Nardi Sales Training Manager - Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals

“The Training Arcade was approachable, creative, and flexible when it came to collaborating on our latest educational game, Dr. Neb. When we built out Dr. Neb using the Scenarios template we were delighted by The Training Arcade’s willingness to brainstorm beyond the template, explore new, technically challenging gaming features, and ultimately execute our ideas with a high degree of polish. The TTA can-do attitude is the perfect match for clients looking to develop innovative educational games!”

Christina Lorenzo E-Learning Instructional Designer CHEST, American College of Chest Physicians

“The Training Arcade provides 3 benefits for Siemen’s global workforce. First, it allows us to reduce travel costs. Employees don’t have to come to training centers; they can get the learning anytime, anywhere. Second, the analytics of the platform allows you to see the performance of the students, real-time. The third benefit is that it’s gamification, this is what the next generation of the workforce is going to expect. The Training Arcade is a simple platform that creates an engaging and fun experience for the learner.”

Mike Kovacs Manager, Technical Training and Digital Innovation Owner at Siemens

"The Jeopardy Instructor-Led Trainer mode was a great success . . . It worked really well and people really liked it."

Jamie Johnson Events Coordinator - Retail Nordic Naturals®

10 Reasons Why Games Will Make You a Training Hero

10 Reasons Why Games Will Make You a Training Hero

Here are 1o the reasons why games improve employee engagement.

Games and gamification are like the jelly to your peanut butter sandwich.
They just make the training taste better.

1. Games Improve Engagement

2. Game Provide Feedback and Rewards

3. Games Can Be Played Anywhere

4. Games are an Effective Form of Microlearning

5. Games Provide Rich Actionable Data

6. Games Provide a Practice Playground

7. Games are Social and Collaborative

8. Games Keep Learners Coming Back Again & Again

9. Games Provide Storytelling That Help Learners Connect with Content

10. Games Engage Attendees at Live Events or for Live Training

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10 Reasons Why Games Will Make You a Training Hero

10 Reasons Why Games Will Make You a Training Hero

Here are 1o the reasons why games improve employee engagement.

Games and gamification are like the jelly to your peanut butter sandwich.They just make the training taste better.

1. Games Improve Engagement

2. Game Provide Feedback and Rewards

3. Games Can Be Played Anywhere

4. Games are an Effective Form of Microlearning

5. Games Provide Rich Actionable Data

6. Games Provide a Practice Playground

7. Games are Social and Collaborative

8. Games Keep Learners Coming Back Again & Again

9. Games Provide Storytelling That Help Learners Connect with Content

10. Games Engage Attendees at Live Events or for Live Training

Games and gamification are like the jelly to your peanut butter sandwich.
They just make the training taste better.