Vienna (A), February 2016 - (by Jochen Kranzer, ovos GmbH) Serious games are mostly digital games that go beyond pure entertainment. They transport serious content that is, if done well, integrated seamlessly into the game's mechanics and workings. This medium allows the player to engage with the content while following the rules and task of the game. The simple formula "game goal" = "learning goal" leads to a merging of the players' intentions and provides a motivating learning experience in the flow of game play.
Putting the concept of serious games into practice reveals quickly that it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Though the market for serious games is growing, many use a misguided interpretation of the serious-games concept. The "learning part" and the "game part" live side by side and do not form a coherent whole. The pattern "solve problem first" then "you get a reward" (usually in the form of a mini-game) is a common tactic.
But even if you put aside these examples, creating a serious game still has numerous pitfalls that impede their development. High production costs and the uncertainty if transfer of the learned content can be achieved are only two of them.
In the past years, another concept has established itself parallel to the serious games: the concept of gamification. Gamification promises the tools that enable us to transfer the motivation of games to activities, learning habits, and behaviour that usually are quite resistant to any kind of enthusiasm. However, we have reached a point where we have to ask some critical questions about this hype, especially in the context of business. Does gamification keep its promises of being able to playfully motivate employees to do nearly any activity? Or could this be an empty promise?
People love to play. The amount of time they spend, especially on digital games, is astonishing - and all of it is voluntary and highly motivated! The satisfaction of this intrinsic motivation comes from the activity itself. Complementarily, the extrinsic motivation is provided in form of incentives, including virtual (points, badges, etc.) and real (boni and presents) rewards.
Even though psychological studies proved years ago that mechanisms based on intrinsic motivation have a long lasting effect, many gamified systems used in business and industry still rely exclusively on external incentives to motivate their players. Points and badges are more than just the icing on the cake! The amazing power of gamification can only be achieved if enough time is invested in creating a system in which gamified processes are an integral part of the learning experience. The following aspects are crucial to this “gamified redesign”: feedback (Where am I? What is my next goal?); autonomy (freedom to choose how I reach my goals); social connections (My contributions are valued. I am part of a whole.); as well as purpose (Why the heck am I doing this?).
Gamification is a young discipline that stands at the edge of becoming a professional player. If we manage to integrate the insights of psychology and motivational research into usable applications, we are looking into a future with the best implementations of gamifications yet.
