Gamification
What is gamification?
Virtually or in real life: rewards are very motivating!
Gamification (or: game-based learning) is similar to E-learning, but there is a difference: gamification focuses on motivation and fun.This is thanks to lots of interaction! Gamification usually consists of two things: gaming elements (like a puzzle, quiz, or battle) and a rewarding system (like points, achievements and ‘badges’). A so-called ‘serious game’ can be used to boost your current learning management system (LMS) or E-learnings. As a result: better perfomance and working ethic. But that’s not the only upside!
Do you know why our serious games have a huge benefit for managers? They actually measure the game’s effectiveness by analyzing data! It’s your decision what you want to focus on. How active are the players? How is the progression and skills going? Thanks to the manager’s dashboard, you can give personal feedback and easily steer every one’s learning journey in the right direction. This way, we ensure a seamless transition between training and putting the learned skills into practice.
“From start to finish, the collaboration with AtHand contributed to an up-to-date and interactive new L&D program for us”
Our methodology
At AtHand we base our methodology on the most fundamental principle, namely that “play” is a deep-rooted construct of our humanity, more than language or culture. The need to play does not only come from pleasure, but also from the social bond that comes from it. Play is a safe way to confirm and/or strengthen our social status. After all, recognition within the group is of vital importance from an evolutionary point of view. More about this on the “What is Gamification” page.
Back to the present – acceptance and appreciation from our social environment are extremely powerful sources for experiencing work pleasure. Increasing recognition and status is therefore a very important principle for our Games. We achieve this by confirming the unique and indispensable role of all individual participants, both in the real world and in the Game. Giving constructive and positive feedback, rewarding performance and sharing it with colleagues and stakeholders, reinforces this effect.
“AtHand Games enable behavioral change in practice, based on an inspiring storyline, motivating dashboards and with a clear and measurable goal”
Our Games are based on a storyline with an inspiring goal, fun cooperation and challenge. The Games use, among other things, scores on leaderboards, badges and achievements to show progress and motivate participants, both individually and in a team.
Process in 4 steps
Battle module
Challenge your fellow players to battles. Increasing knowledge, bond with your colleages and have fun!
Stakeholders module
Look at a dilemma both from your own perspective and from another stakeholder’s perspective. Stop the carousel and learn other stakeholder’s opinion and belief. Increase your empathy by putting yourself in someone else’s shoes .
Want to know more about Gamification?
Read one of our blogs on this topic
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Is Gamification a guarantee for success?
Gamification can best be described as “a turbo on learning and performing”, which – just like the turbo on your car – only gives a speed boost when the basis is good. To make Gamification a success, at least some preconditions must be met. For example, the required IT systems must function properly and employees must have mastered some basic processes and activities. Apart from that, but no less important: employees must feel supported in their growth and learning process.
Timing is also crucial. Steering with Gamification on performance in a period in which a reorganization has recently been announced, we do not consider wise. However, when the dust has settled and everyone’s role within the organization is clear again, the time is right, and Gamification will help everyone to contribute to the new success quickly and effectively.
We are convinced that a successful Gamification process arises from intrinsic motivation. We help you to achieve and strengthen this drive and to map the preconditions for effective use of Gamification.
At AtHand we only start projects when we are convinced that, together with our client, we will achieve measurable and structural success.
Is a Gamification process of 4 to 6 weeks sufficient for structural effect?
We believe that Gamification should last short enough to remain special, but long enough to obtain structural results. The neurocognitive insights of The Institute for Brain Central Learning state that it takes about six weeks to convert daily behavioral changes into a lasting effect. (This recurrence rate is also reflected in the structure of educational programs and training courses for top athletes.)
A Gamification process thrives optimally when it is set up as a learning sprint of several weeks with a daily interaction moment. This learning sprint can be repeated after a few months, with adjusted content and objectives, resulting in a completely new gaming experience. In this way our Gamification approach provides structural learning effects. Our ACE! The platform is designed to facilitate the above adjustments.
Do the Games only aim at strengthening knowledge?
AtHand Games are most effective when they are driven by a mix of knowledge, skills, behavior and performance of employees. The mutual ratio of this is adjustable per Game. In this way we align as closely as possible to the 70-20-10 philosophy that states that people learn best by doing.
In our Games, showing behavior and skills is generally rewarded more generously than showing knowledge. However, sometimes knowledge is a goal, when supporting periodic education or transferring product or compliance knowledge. Our WFT Game, which helps employees to obtain a WFT certificate earlier, is a good example of such a knowledge game.
Can I steer towards competition without the negative effects?
Every person has different character traits. The English professor Richard Bartle knows how to properly interpret the motives of different types of players in his “Taxonomy of Player Types”. Not everyone is as competitive as a “killer”, is driven by collaboration as a “socializer” or has the investigative properties of an “explorer”. Our Games have an eye for the different motives and therefore offer a variety of Game themes, game experiences and look-and-feel.
We think it is important that every Game feels like delivering a unique performance to every player, similar to running a marathon or climbing a mountain. A Game must above all inspire and bring out the best in someone. Regardless of whether the person ultimately performed the best. So the Games have no losers.
Can AtHand Games also be played on mobile?
Our Games are optimized for all common browsers for desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile. Usability comes first. The mobile experience has been developed as an app experience but uses the mobile browser. This guarantees maximum compatibility, the widest possible range and an optimal user experience.
Are AtHand Games also suitable for different target groups?
Accessibility and user-friendliness are central to AtHand’s Games. The Games have a low-threshold design and have an intuitive control. The appreciation and playing pleasure that participation entails exert a universal appeal and are not bound by age or other personal characteristics.
That AtHand Games can be used so widely is due to the use of timeless game mechanisms. “Play” is a deep-rooted construct of our humanity, more than language or culture. People play not only for fun, but also because of the social component behind it and the contribution it makes to the development of skills.
How does Gamification connect with our existing knowledge, audit(s) and coaching systems?
AtHand Games do not replace existing systems but do reinforce their use and effect. The use of an existing knowledge base or other e-learning platform gets significantly more context (read: a huge qualitative and quantitative boost), when the Game refers to this. Such knowledge modules are, after all, used more adaptively and therefore more effectively.
The measured results of existing audits, mystery shopping or quality monitoring increase considerably when you “translate” them into a Game score. Something that is normally experienced as a moment of control, then feels like an opportunity to score. In combination with proactive, concrete and positive coaching from management, the long-term effect of this is enhanced.
What about privacy and security?
AtHand maintains high standards regarding privacy, security and data protection. For most of our Games, only three things are recorded on our servers, namely: name, e-mail address and XP. XP stands for Experience Points, or the score in the Game. The latter is an abstract number that is difficult to trace to actual performance in the workplace.
To translate KPIs into a Game score, the Game Manager is provided with all KPIs to be processed via an extra secure server connection. All data is stored encrypted at this location during a Game and is destroyed after the Game.
Our Games have been developed in accordance with the international OWASP top 10 standard and are also monitored as such. This means that all major and known international security risks are covered. Our security standard is regularly tested by means of so-called pen tests.
What is the technical impact of a Game?
AtHand Games are “cloud-based”. As long as there is a working internet connection, the user only needs a URL to approach the Game. The Game Master takes care of the distribution of this URL with the corresponding personal activation code for each participant.
If required, AtHand also develops links with existing reporting systems, e-learning platforms or a so-called Single Sign On. In general, these are tailor-made programs that can be realized within a few weeks.