The Top 10 Reasons to Switch to Serious Games Infographic

The Top 10 Reasons to Switch to Serious Games

If you are in Learning and Development and considering using serious games, this infographic will give you all the arguments you need to get buy-in from stakeholders.

1. They are Engaging
   A Serious Games designer will tap into the motivation of the user and make them central to the story utilizing interesting characters and reward loops to keep you pushing forward. Users will become emotionally invested in seeing it through.
2. They are a Safe Environment
   Do most learners have a place they can go and practice their skills in a realistic environment? Serious Games can be the missing link between knowledge and practical application on the job, benefitting the business greatly by reducing the number of mistakes your staff will make in the real words.
3. They work according to the Laws Of Learning
   Serious Games are designed to hook us in and appeal to our brain; their designs are mapped to how we intrinsically learn and use for example, Story, Pace, Choice, Active (rather than passive) Learning and Scaffolding (levels).
4. They are Re-Usable
   Serious Games are designed to be played several times and allow a learner to explore different paths and different consequences resulting in a well-rounded view of a situation or problem.
5. Roll specialist knowledge out to a Wider Audience
   Serious games are great for taking a complex topic and turing it into a case study game so that the learning can be accessed by a wider audience. Yes they train to a lower level but at least they will begin to understand the same lessons that your senior management are learning ensuring your organization from top to bottom are speaking the same language.
6. They are Cost Effective
   Cost effectiveness is reached through re-use, wide distribution and the ability to update the game for years to come.
7. You can Capture Data
   Because you're making lots of decision in a game, and those decisions are vey telling about your thought process, you can capture they journey to a particular point as well as that final end result.
8. They are Expected
   Serious Games have matured. Companies who use these approached are often seen as progressive in terms of their learning and development and will attract the top talent. These methodologies will also help retain talent by ensuring your in house learning and development is enjoyable and your employees want to keep learning.
9. They complement other Forms Of Learning
   A single or noon-interactive method of learning delivery just doesn't cut it anymore and games can be the missing link in your learning and development tool kit.
10. They Work
    A recent study by the University of Colorado Denver Business School found that: Overall, declarative knowledge was 11% higher for trainees taught with simulation games than a comparison group: procedural knowledge was 14% higher; retention was 9% higher; and self-efficacy was 20% higher. (Ely and Sitzmann finding, 2010).

A synopsis of some of the main reasons why forward thinking organizations are increasingly switching to using serious games as part of their learning and development portfolio, brought to you by Serious Games and Simulations studio Totem Learning, and taken from a blog originally written by industry expert and author on the subject of Serious Games, Helen Routledge. Helen’s book “Why Serious Games Are Good For Business” will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2015.

The high level explanations of each of the points illustrated can be explored more deeply in the blog Top 10 Reasons Why Serious Games are a great addition to your Learning and Development Tool Kit.