The Game the System™ Model guides you and your team through the process of gamified learning design. By following the 5-step plan, you are essentially assured a successful outcome.. By adding game mechanics to training, Gamification not only increases interest, it makes training “fun.”  The goal is to increase learning and engagement through key concepts found in game design and behavioral psychology. Gamification does NOT equal technology … it is really a way of thinking about the development and delivery of your training programs.

1. AN INTRO TO
Game the System™
A Proven Method to Level Up Your Training and
Development Through Gamification
Monica Cornetti
- Gamification Keynote Speaker and Curriculum Designer -
A Publication of
© 2013 EntrepreNow! Press
www.monicacornetti.com

2. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Introduction: Game the System™ 3
Making Work Fun!
Chapter 1: Objectives…The Fundamentals 8
of Fun!
Chapter 2: It’s Story Time – Create 12
an Epic Adventure
Chapter 3: Design Variety into Your 15
Learning Activities
Chapter 4: Weave the Game 20
Design and Mechanics
Chapter 5: Tally up the Aesthetics so 23
They Wanna Play!
Conclusion: The End Game 28
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3. Introduction
Game the System™
Making Work Fun!

4. Game the System™
Making Work Fun!
Gamification 101: How the Game is Played
The Game the System™ Model guides you and your team through the
process of gamified learning design. By following the 5-step plan, you are
essentially assured a successful outcome.
Gamification invites people to participate and engage by integrating
game mechanics and game dynamics into such things as a website, online
community, marketing campaign, and as demonstrated in this book –
even a traditional training and development program.
By adding game mechanics to training, Gamification not only increases
interest, it makes training “fun.”
The goal is to increase learning and engagement through key concepts
found in game design and behavioral psychology.
Gamification does NOT equal technology … it is really a way of thinking
about the development and delivery of your training programs.
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5. “Gamification is using game-based
mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to
engage people, motivate action, promote
learning, and solve problems.”
- Gabe Zichermann
5

6. Gamification can play a key role in how your organization trains
employees when you learn how to think like a game designer.
The Game the System™ Model
guides you and your team through
the process of gamified learning
design. By following the 5-step
plan, you are essentially assured
a successful outcome.
Here we’ll introduce you to
each of the steps so that you can
immediately begin to roll out the Game the System™ Model to level up
training and development in your organization.
How the Game is Played
Game the System™ a Proven Method for Curriculum Design.
Level 1: Define Learning Objectives… The Fundamentals of Fun!
Level 2: It’s Story Time – Create an Epic Adventure
Level 3: Design Variety into Your Learning Activities
Level 4: Add the Game Design and Mechanics
Level 5: Tally up the Aesthetics so They Wanna Play!
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*HRCI Credits Available

7. Face it… Figuring out a way to reward your kids for doing their chores
or rewarding yourself when you exercise, make the sale, or complete a
boring task is a game. The truth is, it’s all a game, and we’re all gamers.
“
The reality is…
•People enjoy playing games
•Popular games inspire extreme loyalty
•People are motivated by gaming reward
and achievement systems
•Therefore, if non-games are made more
game-like, we’ll be more likely to ‘play’
them
7

8. CHAPTER
1
Objectives… The
Fundamentals of Fun!
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9. Learning Objectives
Gamification should never be seen as an end in itself or positioned to be
able to deliver value all by itself. It should be secondary to clearly defined
learning objectives.
To be effective, the gamified program must align with the desired
instructional and business outcomes. There are many different game
types (action-adventure, role play, strategy, etc.) and it is important that
the game-type aligns with the learning goal.
A single, clearly defined overall goal is important. To design a game you
begin with the end in mind – you need to know the goal of the game.
What do you want to have accomplished by the end of the game? What
does victory look like? What’s the take away?
The gamified program should be based around real business issues,
dilemmas, or trade-offs, and not right or wrong answers. The right issues
will inspire rich conversations and give players the opportunity to learn
from each other.
The most useful gamified programs focus on specific company “pain-
points” rather than just generic business challenges.
The Fundamentals of Fun
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10. f
“What exactly do you
want your audience to
know, do, and feel as a
result of the training?
”
- Monica Cornetti
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11. LIVE Gamification 1.0 :
Let them take the
platform to
demonstrate what
their team has learned
or accomplished.
Although in the
beginning they may
seem hesitant to
present in front of the
crowd – in the end,
they are all eager to
join in.
“How do you think they will be
able to use the information and
skills that they develop?”
- Monica Cornetti
11

12. CHAPTER
2
It’s Story Time – Create an
Epic Adventure
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13. It’s Story Time
Good games are framed around a compelling story. What do you
remember from a training or playshop experience that you have
participated in? Facts, figures, and statistics? Not likely. It’s the stories.
We learn best from the analogies and remember the stories. The Game
the System™ model of Gamification allows you to design your training
around a story.
And the good news is that you don’t have to start with a blank page to
create your storyline.
Many familiar and popular characters are in the public domain. Works in
the public domain are those whose intellectual property rights have
expired or been forfeited, and these works are available for public use.
Some well known examples include Snow White, Robin Hood, Hercules,
Sherlock Holmes, The Three Musketeers and Ayesha (She Who
Must Be Obeyed). Conduct an
Internet search for ‘public domain
characters’, and you will find
extensive lists of characters that
you can use to build your storyline.
Create an Epic Adventure
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14. You can use any number of techniques to craft a compelling storyline. If
you are unfamiliar with the craft, spend some time researching The Story
Coaster, Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, or even purchase a couple sets of
Rory’s Story Cubes.
Basically your storyline will follow a path where your hero ventures forth
from the common-day world into a region of magical wonder. Here they
encounter and battle a supernatural force. After a decisive victory is won,
the hero then comes back from this adventure with the power to bestow
good fortune to their community.
f
The basic path of the monomyth, or "Hero's Journey".
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15. CHAPTER
3
Design Variety into Your
Learning Activities
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16. Learning Activities
The key to delivering effective Gamified training is in the design of the
activities you use throughout the session.
The right ingredients mixed into your learning activities should allow the
participants to acquire knowledge and skill, rather than merely receive
them.
In training, as in cooking, art, or music, a desired end can be
accomplished by a variety of means and methods. Of course, there is also
the risk of things turning out badly. It is only through experimentation,
practice, and revisions that you can polish your delivery methods.
Beware… no matter how well you design a particular activity or teaching
point, its impact and value for the participants may diminish greatly if it
is misplaced in the overall sequence of events. For example, participants
may be tired just when you need them to be alert. Or the group may not
be able to grasp abstract ideas before experiencing concrete examples.
So begin by gathering the ingredients you need to Game the System™
and create award-winning awesome activities.
Design for Interaction and Reflection
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17. LIVE Gamification 1.0 : Movement and learning go hand in hand. Don’t
be afraid to get ‘em on their feet to reinforce where you, the storyline,
and the learning objectives need them to go.
“. . . movement is crucial to every other brain
function, including memory, emotion, language,
and learning. Our “higher” brain functions have
evolved from movement and still depend on it.”
- John J. Ratey, MD Harvard Medical School from User’s Guide to the Brain
17

18. What will you say or do to get participants involved? Help participants
understand the big picture as well as specific learning points. Focus on
the training goals and objectives and remind them what you want
them to retain and apply.
Exercises should be relevant, challenging, and fun so participants want
to interact with you and each other. Know your players and mix the
appropriate amount of competition, collaboration, group and
individual quests, challenges, and achievements to earn points, badges,
and other rewards.
Design different activities for different learning styles. Auditory
learners tune into sounds, visual learners gain understanding by
observation, and kinesthetic learners learn by doing.
Easy activities should be used before demanding ones. Mix large-
group and small-group activities with brief instruction and time for
individual reflection and application.
How should you set up the physical environment for the design to
succeed? Do you have enough empty space in your room for more
active activities or will you need to adjust the format in a crowded
room.
What technology do you absolutely have to have? What do you have
available? Do they match? It not... how can you revise or acquire the
your technology needs?
Finally, don’t forget to debrief, debrief, debrief – What remarks do you
want to make and/or what discussion do you want the participants to
have after completing the learning activity?
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19. Activities to Reinforce Each Learning Objective:
What are the next steps that the participants need, should, or want to take after
completing the activity?
The instructor must stop talking and let the audience assimilate the material
presented. What activities will you design into your curriculum to double-check
that learning has occurred?
In low- or no-tech gamification you have many options to get your participants
building, creating, drawing, reflecting, discussing, debating, sharing, competing,
collaborating… in reality the combination of possibilities is endless. Find ways
to recognize, reward, share, gift, achieve status, etc.
Be sure to get out of your comfort zone which will help your participants to also
do the same.
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20. CHAPTER
4
Add the Game Design and
Mechanics
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21. Remember… the goal is to increase learning and engagement through
key concepts found in game design and behavioral psychology.
When participants first encounter a game, they rely upon a combination
of visual cues, called game elements, to not only understand how the
game is played, but also how success is defined and determined. The
most common cues include:
Points Badges
Levels Rewards or Unlocks
Collections Leaderboards
Player Pieces Avatars
Game Boards Instructions
People love piling up points. They love to earn them, bank them, and
make sure others know how many points they have.
Trophies, badges, ribbons, etc. are the visible recognition of having
reached new levels or completed challenges. Challenges give people goals
and the feeling that they’re working toward something. Levels are an
indication that you’ve reached a milestone or overcome a specific
challenge.
Games typically give players a payoff, even if it’s only the enjoyment of
playing. It is important to realize that participants in a gamified training
activity want some sort of payoff.
Think Like a Game Designer
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Game Mechanics
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22. The aspects of games that make them fun, addicting, and challenging
can’t be reduced to a list of components or step-by-step instructions.
This is where game-design techniques come in.
Just like strategic leadership, managing a team, or creating a killer
marketing campaign, game design is a strong mix of knowledge, skill,
and luck.
“ Fiero: an Italian word for
the feeling of personal
triumph over adversity.
22

23. Games typically give players a payoff, even if it’s only the enjoyment of
playing. It is important to realize that participants in a gamified training
activity want some sort of payoff.
In games, people often gather collections of items. These collections
create a level of complexity in a game.
Leaderboards increase competition. When participants see where they
stand in relation to their peers, they work extra hard to surpass them.
Pieces or avatars show that the person is a player and they are in the
game. They give people an identity within the game.
Game mechanics are the rules and rewards that make games challenging,
fun, and satisfying. The addition of game mechanics enlivens your
training and development programs. Participants are not only eager to
get involved, they will also work extra hard to complete the game.
Gamified activities satisfy basic human desires such as winning,
competition, overcoming challenges, even working with others to
preserve community status.
Start building your own gamified processes to see how they work and test
the design to see what actually happens versus what you anticipated
would happen. You can also interview your players so that you
understand what they liked and didn’t like.
If users are having fun, they are more likely to stay engaged. And when
they are engaged, they are more likely to achieve performance goals.
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24. CHAPTER
5
Tally up the Aesthetics so
They Wanna Play!
www.monicacornetti.com

25. Don’t Forget the FUN!
In the Game the System™ model – we define aesthetics as those extra
added touches that wrap your story, characters, learning activities, game
elements and game mechanics into a consistent, attractive – even
charming and captivating – cohesiveness that ties the entire project
together.
Create great visuals that appeal to different senses – touch, sight, and
sound – using colors, designs, textures, and manipulatives.
Make your props, badges, chance cards, and rewards fun. They should
not only be fun for users to earn, but also fun to look at. Tie them all
together with a theme that you carry the entire way through your
program.
For instance, let’s say you wanted to design a curriculum for sales
training called “Light up the Future”. You could include learning
activities using real camping gear and survival techniques:
•“How Do You Start a Fire Without Any Matches?” – a competition that
generates ideas for finding new leads.
•“What To Do When All You Get is Smoke?” – techniques for successfully
closing the sale or overcoming objectives
•”How to Keep the Fire Burning” – tips on keeping themselves motivated and
going for the next “yes”
Tally up the Aesthetics So They Wanna Play
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26. The Riddle of the Exporter™ creates an 8-step process that serves as
a roadmap for new exporters and those seeking export certification.
Centered on imaginary characters from Gun Barrel City, TX –
participants of this training have a 99% pass rate!
“
Instructional designer and creator of
the program, Elyse Eriksson believes
there are three components to a good
gamified training program: knowledge,
skill, and luck… because even when
you do everything right in life, some
things still rely on simply being lucky.
26

27. Create a theme or epic adventure: Use your story and weave the
theme as you build each of the teaching points. This way you’ll fulfill
your objectives within fun and clever aesthetics.
“
ASK YOURSELF – WHAT
FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS DO
YOU WANT YOUR PLAYERS TO
EXPERIENCE?
27

28. The bottom line is that just like a game – your gamified training elements
are all part of a system, and a system by definition, is a group of
interrelated elements that work together to form a complex whole.
When designing your gamified training program, remember the old
saying that, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The elements
of your program individually may not seem that significant or impactful.
But when you artfully bring them together and put them into motion –
they should engage your players, draw them in and allow them to
connect emotionally with the experience. Your players should be moved
both intellectually and emotionally..
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I Mustache You a Question - Powerful simulation case studies that allow
the participants to earn points when they choose the “most correct”
option for potential customers. Fake mustaches add to the friendly
competition – and serve as a reminder to ask questions during the sales
process to build relationship and rapport with the prospect.
28

29. The End Game
The challenge of Gamification is to take the elements that normally
operate within a game space and apply them effectively in the real world.
For example:
 To accelerate growth and learning in new employees, develop
systems and processes that enable fast and meaningful real-time
feedback.
 Capture data and share with employees in a transparent, easily
understood format. Everyone wants to know how performance is
being measured, and how they are being compared to others.
 Challenge and reward specific actions and your people will be
naturally motivated to engage more directly and intensely with
information or activities.
Gamification of real-world activities is a powerful technique which can
motivate people and help generate loyalty to the organization, its
products, or its messages.
At its core, Gamification is about finding the fun in the things that we
have to do. Making business processes compelling by making them fun is
about the most fascinating and coolest thing that I can think of!
A Real World Adventure
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30. f
“If someone asks the
participants what they
learned from your
training, how would
you like them to
answer?
”
- Monica Cornetti
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31. Ready to Level Up?
Game the System™
LIVE Playshops
The ultimate playshops for Chief Learning Officers, HR
Managers and Professionals*, Training & Development
Specialists, Innovators, and Entrepreneurs.
A 6-hour immersive, intensive playshop to create a game-
based training solution with the Game the System™ proven
method.
Learn best practices, tips, tools, and techniques to engage
people and get training results that stick from experienced
Gamification Curriculum Designers.
Book a Playshop in your city or attend our next
scheduled Regional Playshop.
*HRCI Credits Available
A Publication of
© 2013 EntrepreNow! Press