Custom eLearning solution

Level up your eLearning with gamification

Gamification training, or gamification of learning, is the use of gameplay elements in a learning experience. At ELM, we know that gamified learning, when backed by an understanding of neuroscience, is a powerful tool for inspiring learners to challenge themselves.

Get in touch

Why use gamification in corporate learning?

Gamification is uniquely poised to motivate your learners and level up your corporate training. By adding game elements—think leaderboards, points, timers, and challenges—learners are able to approach training in an autonomous, meaningful way that engages their brains and introduces a little healthy competition without learners actually being together.

Traditional training can suffer from too much info—or not enough. Our gamified learning solutions give learners a chance to demonstrate their knowledge in a stimulating way before moving on to new or more difficult topics. Learners will incrementally improve on and master topics without informational overload. The result? True learning autonomy and mastery.

Our approach to gamified learning

Gamification has the potential to increase productivity by 50%, reduce overall training time by 90%, and reduce new-hire training time during onboarding by 70%, but it’s often overlooked as nothing more than a trendy buzzword. By combining what we know about neuroscience, cognition, and motivation with engaging design, gamification becomes part of a training strategy that is anything but child’s play.

Brains have powerful neurological pathways that activate depending on what we’re doing. The brain’s default mode network (DMN) is responsible for “autopilot mode,” which is sometimes what we’re in during traditional training. When the brain is challenged or entertained, its working memory network (WMN) takes over. The WMN lets learners absorb new information and convert it into long-term memory.

ELM utilizes our extensive understanding of neuroscience to trigger your learners’ WMNs via gamification. By building in stories, challenges, and giving users real-time feedback, information converts to long-term recall without learners even realizing it.

Benefits of gamification

Applying gamification judiciously at the right places and times adds a layer of depth and entertainment to your content. Some of the benefits you’ll see from gamifying your training include:

Learner motivation. Gamification rewards learners and challenges them to keep going.
Learner autonomy. You’ll tap into intrinsic motivators like competition, improvement, and completion while allowing individuals to learn at their own pace and level.
Instant feedback. Games provide feedback as players demonstrate their mastery. If they do well, it’s onto the next level; if not, they get another chance to see what they missed.
Social learning. Friendly competition and collaboration allow learners to forge new connections.
Emotional connection. Gamification often uses storytelling to help learners apply what they’ve experienced in simulated situations, creating an emotional link (which builds stronger neural connections).
Meaningful goals. Leveling up and completing games gives learners meaningful, tangible goals to work toward.
Cognitive relief. Brains love to multitask, but multitasking can hurt training efforts. Games direct attention to one task at a time, which increases focus and reduces the cognitive load on the brain.

Some cool things we’ve done

View all past projects

Image for Intro to Data Technical Training

View all past projects

Give your learners the opportunity to experience customized training content anytime, anywhere.

Learn more

A picture is worth a thousand words, but custom animations and illustrations deliver so much more.

Learn more

Effective learning happens through small learning units and short-term learning activities.

Learn more

FAQs

Gamification design adds game-like elements to training and learning experiences. This can include awarding points, incorporating leaderboards, and adding levels to training content.
ELM was tasked with making a compliance course for a car rental company more “tolerable.” Using a road trip theme, we issued each user a Compliance Passport, which they used to collect stamps for completing each micro course along the simulated road map. The stamps worked like badges, rewarding employees for completing a module, and the map showed users where they were going—and where they had been.
If you’re thinking of gamification for your next training, we can help. We always start by asking “What motivates the audience and what gaming features make the most sense?” We create games that translate to your workplace and don’t distract the learner from productivity. Our gamification design experts ensure that the games relate to your specific business goals and that the gaming data can be used to measure your ROI.

Case studies

Check out how we’ve taken inspired ideas and transformed them into workable realities for our clients.

See all case studies

Gamified Onboarding Experience

How do you make a new work environment feel like home on day one? A large pet retailer wanted to increase confidence in new associates so they felt comfortable in their stores. Our eLearning design made first-day training a more interactive process with plenty of in-the-moment feedback to better prepare employees to make recommendations and guide customers through the store.

Read the story

Changing Hearts & Minds With Food Law

The legal department of a multinational confectionary and food products manufacturer was ready and willing to offer guidance through the production process, but found that it wasn’t being effectively utilized by employees. While they had plenty of helpful content, ELM knew that instilling confidence in the department was priority #1. Our designers helped change the way employees saw legal while highlighting what the department had to offer.

Read the story