Game the System™

A Proven Method to Level Up Your Training and Talent Development

Through Gamification

by Monica Cornetti- Gamification Keynote Speaker and Strategy Designer -

© 2015 www.SententiaGames.com

TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction: The Game the System™ Strategy 4

Chapter 1: Objectives… The Building Blocks of Fun! 9

Chapter 2: It’s Story Time - Create an Epic Adventure 13

Chapter 3: Design Variety - Mix Up Your Learning Activities 17

Chapter 4: Deconstruct the Game - Design and Mechanics 24

Chapter 5: Tally up the Aesthetics - So They Wanna Play! 30

Conclusion: The End Game 36

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Introduction

Game the System™ Making Business Processes

Compelling by Making them Fun!

Game the System™Making Business Processes Compelling by Making them Fun!

Gamification 101: How the Game is Played

The goal is to increase learning and engagement through key concepts found in game design and behavioral psychology.

Gamification invites people to participate and engage by integrating game mechanics and game dynamics into such things as a website, online community, marketing campaigns, and as demonstrated in this eBook – even a traditional training or talent development program.

By adding game mechanics to training, Gamification not only increases interest, it makes learning “fun.”

Gamification does NOT equal technology … it is really a way of thinking about the development and delivery of your training programs.

The Game the System™ Model guides you through the process of gamified learning design. By following the 5-step plan, we essentially assure you a successful outcome.

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“Gamification involves the deconstruction of

games – unpacking the question, ‘What makes games fun, challenging, and even

addicting?’ We use game psychology and game mechanics in a non-game context.”

6- Monica Cornetti

Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

Gamification can play a key role in how your organization trains employees when you learn how to think like a game designer.

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How the Game is Played

Game the System™ a Proven Method for Instructional Design.

Level 1: Define Business Objectives… The Fundamentals of Fun!Level 2: It’s Story Time – Create an Epic Adventure

Level 3: Design Variety into Your Learning Activities

Level 4: Add the Game Design and Mechanics

Level 5: Tally up the Aesthetics so They Wanna Play!

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Schedule a Workshop in your city or attend our next scheduled Regional Workshop*HRCI, SHRM, and ATD Recertification Credits Available

Face it… Figuring out a way to reward your kids for doing their chores or rewarding yourself when you exercise, make the sale, or complete a boring task is a game. The truth is, it’s all a game, and we’re all gamers.

The reality is…• People enjoy playing games

• Popular games inspire extreme loyalty

• People are motivated by gaming reward and achievement systems

• Therefore, if non-games are made more game-like, we’ll be more likely to ‘play’ them

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CHAPTER

Objectives… The Building Blocks of

Fun!

Business Objectives

Gamification should never be seen as an end in itself or positioned to be able to deliver value all by itself. It should be secondary to clearly defined business objectives.

To be effective, the gamified program must align with the desired instructional and business outcomes.

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The Fundamentals of Fun

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To design a game you begin with the end in mind – you need to know the goal of the game. What do you want to have accomplished by the end of the game? What does victory look like? What’s the take away?

The gamified program should be based around real business issues, dilemmas, or trade-offs, and not right or wrong answers. The right issues will inspire rich conversations and give players the opportunity to learn from each other.

The most useful gamified programs focus on specific company “pain-points” rather than generic business challenges, such as leadership or communication.

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A single, clearly defined overall goal is important.

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What exactly do you want your audience to know, do, and feel as a result of the training?

- Monica CornettiFounder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

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CHAPTER

It’s Story Time – Create an Epic Adventure

It’s Story Time

Good games are framed around a compelling story. What do you remember from a training or workshop experience that you have participated in? Facts, figures, and statistics? Not likely. It’s the stories. We learn best from the analogies and remember the stories. The Game the System™ model of Gamification encourages you to design your training around a story.

And the good news is that you don’t have to start with a blank page to create your storyline. You can use any number of techniques to craft a compelling storyline. If you are unfamiliar with the craft, spend some time researching The Story Coaster or purchase a couple sets ofRory’s Story Cubes.

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Create an Epic Adventure

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A common template is Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, a tale where your hero ventures forth from the common-day world into a region of magical wonder. Here they encounter and battle a supernatural force. After a decisive victory is won, the hero then comes back from this adventure with the power to bestow good fortune to their community.

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The basic path of the monomyth, or "Hero's Journey".

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Visit www.Gutenberg.org for an extensive list of

characters that you can use to build your storyline.

Many familiar and popular characters are in the public domain. Works in the public domain are those whose intellectual property rights have

expired or been forfeited, and these works are available for public use. Some well known examples include Snow White, Robin Hood, Hercules,

and Sherlock Holmes.

CHAPTER

Design Variety into Your Learning Activities

Learning Activities

The key to delivering effective Gamified training is in the design of the activities you use throughout the session.

The right ingredients mixed into your learning activities should allow the participants to acquire knowledge and skill, rather than merely receive them.

In training, as in cooking, art, or music, a desired end can be accomplished by a variety of means and methods. Of course, there is also the risk of things turning out badly. It is only through experimentation, practice, and revisions that you can polish your delivery methods.

Beware… no matter how well you design a particular activity or teaching point, its impact and value for the participants may diminish greatly if it is misplaced in the overall sequence of events. For example, participants may be tired just when you need them to be alert. Or the group may not be able to grasp abstract ideas before experiencing concrete examples.

So begin by gathering the ingredients you need to Game the System™ and create award-winning awesome activities.

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Design for Interaction and Reflection

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Gamification 1.0 : Movement and learning go hand in hand. Don’t be afraid to get ‘em on their feet to reinforce where you, the storyline, and the learning objectives need them to go.

“. . . movement is crucial to every other brain function, including memory, emotion, language, and learning. Our “higher” brain functions have evolved from movement and still depend on it.”

- John J. Ratey, MD Harvard Medical School from User’s Guide to the Brain

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What will you say or do to get participants involved? Help participants understand the big picture as well as specific learning points. Focus on the training goals and objectives and remind them what you want them to retain and apply.

Exercises should be relevant, challenging, and fun so participants want to interact with you and each other. Know your players and mix the appropriate amount of competition, collaboration, group and individual quests, challenges, and achievements to earn points, badges, and other rewards.

Easy activities should be used before demanding ones. Mix large-group and small-group activities with brief instruction and time for individual reflection and application.

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How should you set up the physical environment for the design to succeed? Do you have enough empty space in your room for more active activities or will you need to adjust the format in a crowded room.

What technology do you absolutely have to have? What do you have available? Do they match? It not... how can you revise or acquire your technology needs?

Finally, don’t forget to debrief, debrief, debrief – What remarks do you want to make and/or what discussion do you want the participants to have after completing the learning activity?

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Design different activities for different learning styles. Auditory learners tune into sounds, visual learners gain understanding by observation, and kinesthetic learners learn by doing.

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What are the next steps that the participants need, should, or want to take after completing the activity?

The instructor must stop talking and let the audience assimilate the material presented. What activities will you design into your curriculum to double-check that learning has occurred?

In low- or no-tech gamification you have many options to get your participants building, creating, drawing, reflecting, discussing, debating, sharing, competing, collaborating… in reality the combination of possibilities is endless. Find ways to recognize, reward, share, gift, achieve status, etc.

Be sure to get out of your comfort zone which will help your participants to also do the same.

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Activities to Reinforce Each Learning Objective

CHAPTER

Deconstruct the Game -Design and Mechanics

Game Mechanics

Remember… the goal is to increase learning and engagement through key concepts found in game design and behavioral psychology.

When participants first encounter a game, they rely upon a combination of visual cues,to not only understand how the game is played, but also how success is defined and determined. The most common cues include:

Points Progress Skill DevelopmentLevels Rewards or Unlocks CollectionsLeaderboards Player Pieces AvatarsGame Boards Rules In Game Currency

People love piling up points. They love to earn them, bank them, and make sure others know how many points they have. Points earned that increase the expertise of the player create a feeling of being the number one and enhance many other mechanics. Alone points are nothing; they are totally useless if the system lacks other mechanics.

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Think Like a Game Designer

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Trophies, badges, ribbons, etc. are the visible recognition of

having reached new levels or completed challenges. Challenges

give people goals and the feeling that they’re working toward

something. Levels are an indication that you’ve reached a

milestone or overcome a specific challenge.

Fiero: an Italian word for the feeling of personal triumph over adversity.

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Games typically give players a payoff, even if it’s only the enjoyment of playing. It is important to realize that participants in a gamified training activity want some sort of payoff.

The aspects of games that make them fun, addicting, and challenging can’t be reduced to a list of components or step-by-step instructions. This is where game-design techniques come in.

Just like strategic leadership, managing a team, or creating a killer marketing campaign, game design is a strong mix of knowledge, skill, and luck.

If users are having fun, they are more likely to stay engaged. And when they are engaged, they are more likely to achieve performance goals.

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Leaderboards increase competition. When participants see where they stand in relation to their peers, they may work extra hard to surpass them.

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Gamified activities satisfy basic human desires such as winning, competition, overcoming challenges, even working with others to preserve community status.

Game mechanics are the rules and rewards that make games challenging, fun, and satisfying. The addition of game mechanics enlivens your training and development programs. Participants are not only eager to get involved, they will also work extra hard to complete the game.

Start building your own gamified processes to see how they work and test the design to see what actually happens versus what you anticipated would happen. You can also interview your players so that you understand what they liked and didn’t like.

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CHAPTER

Tally up the Aesthetics so They Wanna Play!

Don’t Forget the FUN!

In the Game the System™ model – we define aesthetics as those extra added touches that wrap your story, characters, learning activities, game elements and game mechanics into a consistent, attractive – even charming and captivating – cohesiveness that ties the entire project together.

Create great visuals that appeal to different senses – touch, sight, and sound – using colors, designs, textures, and manipulatives.

Make your props, badges, chance cards, and rewards fun. They should not only be fun for users to earn, but also fun to look at. Tie them all together with a theme that you carry the entire way through your program.

Tally up the Aesthetics So They Wanna Play

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The Riddle of the Exporter™ creates an 8-step process that serves as a roadmap for new exporters and those seeking export certification. Centered on imaginary characters from Gun Barrel City, TX – participants of this training have a 99% pass rate!

Instructional designer and creator of the program, Elyse Eriksson believes there are three components to a good gamified training program: knowledge, skill, and luck… because even when you do everything right in life, some things still rely on simply being lucky.

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The bottom line is that just like a game – your gamified training elements are all part of a system, and a system by definition, is a group of interrelated elements that work together to form a complex whole.

When designing your gamified training program, remember the old saying that, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The elements of your program individually may not seem that significant or impactful. But when you artfully bring them together and put them into motion – they should engage your players, draw them in and allow them to connect emotionally with the experience. Your players should be moved both intellectually and emotionally..

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Create a theme or epic adventure: Use your story and weave the theme as you build each of the teaching points. This way you’ll fulfill your objectives within fun and clever aesthetics.

ASK YOURSELF – WHAT FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS DO YOU WANT YOUR PLAYERS TO EXPERIENCE?

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Now You Try It…

For instance, let’s say you wanted to design a curriculum for sales training called “Light up the Future”. You could include learning activities using real camping gear and survival techniques:

What kind of aesthetics might you choose to wrap your story, characters, learning activities, game elements and game mechanics into a consistent, attractive, cohesive, gamified learning program?

Feel free to post your ideas in the comments section below.

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How Do You Start a Fire Without Any Matches? – a competition that generates ideas for finding new leads.

What To Do When All You Get is Smoke? –techniques for successfully closing the sale or overcoming objectives

How to Keep the Fire Burning – tips on keeping themselves motivated and going for the next “yes”

The End Game

The challenge of Gamification is to take the elements that normally operate within a game space and apply them effectively in the real world. For example:

To accelerate growth and learning in new employees, develop systems and processes that enable fast and meaningful real-time feedback.

Capture data and share with employees in a transparent, easily understood format. Everyone wants to know how performance is being measured, and how they are being compared to others.

Challenge and reward specific actions and your people will be naturally motivated to engage more directly and intensely with information or activities.

Gamification of real-world activities is a powerful technique which can motivate people and help generate loyalty to the organization, its products, or its messages.

At its core, Gamification is about finding the fun in the things that we have to do. Making business processes compelling by making them fun is about the most fascinating and coolest thing that I can think of!

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A Real World Adventure

LIVE Gamification 1.0 : Let them take the lead to demonstrate what their team has learned or accomplished.

“How will they be able to use

the information and skills that

they develop?”

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Although in the beginning they may seem hesitant to present in front of a group – in the end, they are all eager to join in, and share their new found insights and skills.

- Monica CornettiFounder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

Gamification Apprentice CertificationTrain the Trainer Program

Sententia is the ONLYorganization to offer a Gamification Certification specifically for Talent Development and Human Resource specialists.

PLUS our certification can earn you recertification credits with HRCI, SHRM, and ATD.

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The Gamification Apprentice has completed basic training inthe 5-step Game the System™ model for gamification learningdesign, gathered data, participated in problem-solvingexercises, analyzed case studies, and added their personalexperiences to the exploration process. An individual whohas earned a Level 1 Gamification Apprentice Certification hasreceived introductory training and demonstrates the necessaryunderstanding of the fundamentals of gamification as it appliesto the 5-step process of gamifiying an organizational training ortalent development program.

A Gamification Apprentice typically has a basic knowledge ofgamification, but has not designed or led projects on their own.

www.SententiaGames.com

“A stellar program that

will delight your members.”

360 TrainingAbbott LaboratoriesAbudawoodAccentureADPAmerican Cancer SocietyAmeriHealth CaritasAssociation for Talent DevelopmentAudible.comAmazonAppleAT&TBaker HughesBank of AmericaBCBS FloridaBloomington Public SchoolsBNSF LogisticsBoehringer-IngelheimBoy Scouts of AmericaBrown UniversityBrother InternationalCaliber Home LoansCarolinas Health CareCaterpillarChoice HotelsCitizens BankColorado Springs UtilitiesCountry FinancialDellDirect Checks UnlimitedDuke University

Flik LifestylesFM GlobalGet FueledGoDaddyGoodwill IndustriesGreyhoundGrowmarkHarvard UniversityHarley-Davidson FinancialHarte HanksHeartland BankHelp Desk InstituteICMIIllinois Central CollegeIllinois State UniversityJB HuntJobbing AmericaLegal Learning NetworkLiberty Mutual InsuranceMary KayMD AndersonMetro Technology CentersNorth Highland ConsultingNorthwest University (RSA)Oklahoma Department of

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

OncorPacific Islands SBDCPeace HealthPepsico

PWCPYXERA GlobalQueen Rania FoundationRound Rock ISDSamsungSchlumbergerSegaTeamSerious PlayState FarmState of ArizonaStetson UniversityThe CARA GroupThe Help Desk InstituteThe Hill at White MarshTexas A&M UniversityTexas State UniversityTraining MagazineTXDOTUnited AirlinesUniversity of ArkansasUniversity of PhoenixUniversity of TexasWal-MartWells FargoWilmington UniversityYour Company Name Here

www.SententiaGames.com

We’ve Certified Gamification Strategists in these Organizations

Sententia partners with Organizations, Associations, and local ATD Chapters to offer a one-day LIVE Gamification Certification program for your employees, members, or community.

“A certification that demonstrates a

dedication to their profession.”

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If someone asks the participants what they learned from your training, how would you like them to answer?

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- Monica CornettiFounder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

Ready to Level Up?

Game the System™Workshops and Certifications

The ultimate workshops for Educators, Trainers, Talent Development Managers,

Instructional Designers, HR Managers Innovators, and Entrepreneurs.

Learn best practices, tips, tools, and techniques to engage people and get

training results that stick from experienced Gamification Strategy Designers.

Book a Workshop in your city or attend our next scheduled Regional Workshop.

*HRCI, SHRM, and ATD Recertification Credits Available

© 2015 www.SententiaGames.com