Gamification for corporate training: serious games

Gamification for corporate training: serious games

Gamification for corporate training: serious games

Gamification applied to training turns content to be studied into content to be practiced: learners make choices, get things wrong, receive an immediate explanation and try again. When the main goal is to train, raise awareness or teach, the game is called a serious game: the mechanics are those of a video game, the goal is for the content to stick.

Gamification applied to training turns content to be studied into content to be practiced: learners make choices, get things wrong, receive an immediate explanation and try again. When the main goal is to train, raise awareness or teach, the game is called a serious game: the mechanics are those of a video game, the goal is for the content to stick.

The reason it works is practical. A course is taken once and quickly forgotten; a playable challenge puts the person in the position of making decisions, and a wrong decision followed by an explanation fixes the concept better than a slide read twice.

The reason it works is practical. A course is taken once and quickly forgotten; a playable challenge puts the person in the position of making decisions, and a wrong decision followed by an explanation fixes the concept better than a slide read twice.

Where it pays off

Where it pays off

• Workplace safety — procedures are learned by trying them: spotting a hazard inside a game, on a construction site or in a warehouse, prepares people before the risk becomes real.

• Compliance and internal procedures — topics people tackle out of duty: the playable format lowers resistance and raises completion rates.

• Product training and sales teams — salespeople need to know the catalog, and a level-based quiz with a leaderboard among colleagues gets the sales force reviewing it on their own initiative.

• Customer education — explaining to the public how a service, a product or a complex topic works, from savings to recycling.

• Schools, institutions and educational projects — where the goal is reaching students and families in a language they already use.

What makes a serious game effective

  • The mechanic has to mirror the content. If the topic is spotting a hazard, the game must ask you to spot something. A mechanic chosen only because it's fun leaves the content out.

  • Feedback comes right away. The explanation follows every answer, not the end of the course: the moment of the mistake is when a person is ready to learn.

  • Sessions are short. A few minutes per game, so the experience gets repeated many times instead of being faced once like an exam.

  • Results are measured. Completions, correct answers by topic, replays: the data shows which content lands and which needs rewriting.

Projects we've built

Il Risparmio che fa Scuola — Poste Italiane, with SuperHumans

A financial education program by Poste Italiane, curated by the SuperHumans agency and developed by Dinobros in three versions, one for each school level: primary, middle and high school. The same idea — the islands of savings — delivered with different mechanics depending on age, from a quiz-based board game for the youngest players to a multiplayer parkour for high schoolers, where falling triggers a challenge and sends you back to the last checkpoint.

University Escape — Banking Academy by Skuola.net and UniCredit

An obstacle course where university students learn everyday finance: mortgage rates, managing savings, spotting scams and fake news. Skuola.net published the figure: over 20,000 university students improved their financial literacy by playing.

Zero Morti Sul Lavoro - The Game — UIL

Six mini-games across three work environments — construction site, logistics, office — bringing workplace safety to younger generations, starting with training.

The Information Tower — a Google project with Altroconsumo and Skuola.net

A game that teaches how to spot fake news: three articles per session, three clues to find in each one, a true-or-false verdict and an explanation with every answer.

Missione RAEE — Gruppo Hera and PV Cycle

Two projects on the correct disposal of e-waste: for Gruppo Hera, a team-based board game with quizzes; for the "Siamo tutti RAEE" initiative, in collaboration with Fra Design, a fast-paced recognition challenge.

Cognitivo — a Dinobros project with Training Cognitivo

A digital educational platform with activities and video games to train memory, attention, logic, reading, writing and math skills, with paths that adapt to each user's level. A project born in-house at Dinobros together with Training Cognitivo.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a serious game and a gamified e-learning course?

Does a serious game replace mandatory training?

How do you measure whether people have learned?

Do we need to install anything or integrate it with our company platform?

Does it work for external audiences too, not just employees?