Gamification The Workplace

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“Gamification can achieve multiple objectives for businesses, including employee satisfaction, an increase in innovation, skills development and changing behaviors.” (Kapko, 2014, para. 4)
Gamification is a fast-emerging innovation in the world of corporate training. Two other trends are occuring, especially in the United States workforce, that are driving the rapid rise of gamification in the workplace. First, more than 10,000 baby boomers retire every day, meaning that millennials now account for 37 percent of the current US workforce. It is the largest workforce shift in United States history. Second, is the growth of mobile learning, spurred by the increase in available mobile devices (Mohl, 2014). In fact, mobile devices have become the …show more content…

Gamification is designed to engage learners using digital means including badges and award points rather than traditional means such as lecture, print, or PowerPoint slides. According to Valenti (2017),
Any knowledge and skills players gain during game play are directly related to what they need to know to complete each mini-quest and to survive in the game world. In fact, achievement, in the form of mini-quests, is the main priority, not learning. Learning, or skilling up, becomes almost secondary in nature because its function is to support achievement. (para. 4)
The roots of gamification date back more than thirty years to the mid 1980’s. Who can forget The Legend of Zelda and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? They were not just games they taught us lessons. The 90’s brought about hand held gaming devices, such as the Game Boy. Meanwhile, PC games like Roller Coaster Tycoon taught us how to run the amusement park of our dreams. The 2000’s is when gaming became serious and games like Diner Dash taught us management skills. Then the Nintendo Wii came along, tricking us into exercising a little more using the power of Wii Fit. However, it was not until 2010 that gamification became an acceptable form of course design and delivery for corporate training and curriculum development. Around this time, Mozilla started its Open Badges Project, …show more content…

In a traditional work environment rewards are often in the form of an annual performance review or bonus for obtaining organizational goals. Most efforts throughout the year are viewed as unnoticed by many employees. Badges and reward systems offer an immediate tangible benefit to the learner. In a gamified workplace, employees receive frequent updates and earn higher rankings. These higher rankings could draw the eye of supervisors and co-workers (Eyal & Luman, 2014). This ranking system may also allow the best and brightest in the company to shine by showcasing their talents in areas of management and leadership allowing the entire organization to see their achievements.
A hidden benefit of gamification may lie in the ability to make social connections (Ford, 2015). Some games may involve teamwork and collaboration as a group or department to complete quests. This is especially helpful for building and promoting social connections for employees who are geographically distant or have trouble with social skills.
The

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