How many times we heard the sentence “never stop learning"?
No matter if we are children or adults, if we are at work, at school, or at home; we constantly learn and discover things that we did not know before. However, the approach to learning changes according to the context in which we find ourselves.
If we are at work and our boss asks us to take part in a long training session to learn about a new process, master a technology or learn a new business practice, we do not always enthusiastically repay this moment. Learning something new regardless of how important it is, could be a tedious task. It is even more true when we have to learn something new at work.
It is acknowledged that performance is closely related to the acquisition of new skills. So where do we get the motivation to learn? Brian Bruke researcher and vice president of Gartner teaches us that: "when learning is vital but motivation is lacking, gamification helps us achieve our goals." We like to associate the metaphor of travel with the learning process. When we travel we know the destination, the point of departure and arrival, the difficulties we may encounter along the way, the way forward to achieve our goals and only by venturing do we understand if we are going in the right direction.
Thanks to the distinctive features of gamification such as points, badges, levels and rankings, users can monitor where they are on their "journey" and how they position themselves compared to their colleagues and friends. The gamification strategies therefore aim to replicate the video game model by providing feedback, allowing the path from one status to the next, using leather boards where the user can confront himself or others.
For those wishing to learn more about the gamification phenomenon and understand its dynamics, here is a list of 6 "must have" books to better understand the phenomenon:
1. "The Gamification of Learning and Instruction" by Karl Kapp. An inspiring book that questions the way we learn. The book is engaging, sometimes provocative and certainly informative. The author in his book is keen to emphasize that when we talk about gamification we are not only adding points, levels, badges and challenges to a classic eLearning program but we are completely rethinking a learning process. The book provides the right amount of academic evidence, practical advice and tips for creating an engaging and fun learning path.
2. "Gamify: How Gamification Motivates People to Do Extraordinary Things" by Brian Bruke. The author assumes that organizations are facing a crisis of people’s engagement. Regardless of whether they are customers, employees, patients, students, citizens; organizations find it difficult to involve their people. According to the author, organizations are beginning to consider gamification as a key tool in their digital engagement strategy. The book shows gamification in action: as an effective approach to engage and motivate people to achieve personal and business goals. Bruke believes that gamification acts as a motivational lever and leads to change behaviors, develop new skills, and promote innovation. The key to successful gamification lies in the ability to engage people emotionally.
3. "Game on: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games" by Jon Radoff. The author demonstrates that games are not just a matter of entertainment. The technique he calls "social games" can be used to improve the quality of online applications, as well as a wide range of experiences related to business or consumers. The book manages to mix game design parts with methodological parts, resulting in a valuable guide for those who want to approach the phenomenon of gaming in everyday life. An interesting part is dedicated to social games and the virality principles that govern them.
4. "Gamification in Human Resources (Enterprise Gamification)" by Mario Herger. Research shows that when people are motivated they are consequently more productive. For this reason, gamification has gained space in the business context. This book is aimed at all professionals working in the human resources sector: from recruitment to training, from career development to compensation. By reading this book, HR experts will know how to get people involved by making them happy and productive,
