There is no doubt that an educational landscape can profit a lot from computer and video games. Authors, such as Rieber and Betz argue that games stimulate curiosity, support development of critical thinking and enrich a learning process through visualization, experimentation, and creativity. In a game-based learning environment, users learn new concepts and practice skills in a risk-free setting, without real-world implications. The more they understand the subject, the better their results in the game are. It is important to differentiate learning games and gamification. Game-based learning fully integrates game mechanics with training content, the game itself is the training. Gamification just uses game elements as a reward for completing training modules.

While reading about learning games, one will encounter the term ‘serious games’. That means games for serious purpose, not for fun. Initially serious games were created to train people in particular jobs, such as army personnel or salesmen. With the diffusion of new devices, such as smartphones and tablets, a variety of serious games has been increased. For example, by means of serious games, children in Thailand are taught how to run a government in a democratic society (see this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUn3hVZ-ejk).

An interesting example of a serious game in corporate educational environment is the game Mobilizer. It has been created for a company that was looking for an educational tool for its sales employees. The Mobilizer enables employees to perform simulated calls to customers and sharpen their sales skills. The benefits of this solution, in comparison to conventional e-learning courses and face-to-face training are:

- brevity of game modules: playing through scenarios lasts about 10 minutes per day

- a wide selection of scenarios for determining customer’s needs

- a department-wide leaderboard with the game results of co-workers – it boosts healthy competition between colleagues and allows management to get real time assessment data

- availability as an app for different types of mobile devices.

A crucial question in the game-based environment is whether fun and enjoyment of the game are a guaranty for learning success. This question was answered by a Swiss research project on game-based learning, which has examined the effect of serious games on cognitive and motivational learning gains of students. The researchers came to conclusion that such factors as explicit learning tasks, instruction and support from teachers, may be more important for users than the experience of fun during the game. So the first thing, educators have to begin with, is to get a clear view of learning objectives.

References:

https://www.designingdigitally.com/portfolio/serious-games/mobilizer-sales-training

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/bjet.122261997

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286244094_Serious_Games_for_education_and_training