This document provides a summary of a presentation on using games and gamification to support learning. It begins with introductions and then outlines the following key points: 1. It defines what constitutes a game and how games can be useful for learning. 2. It discusses using case studies and prototypes to prove the value of games for learning and provides tips for creating effective learning games, such as playing games to learn design, prototyping, choosing elements to support learning goals, and playtesting. 3. It shares examples of learning games created by Bottom-Line Performance and the business and learning goals they aimed to achieve.

1. PLAYTO LEARN
Learning Games & Gamification that Get Results
A presentation from

2. 2Bottom-Line Performance
SHARON BOLLER
CEO and President
Bottom-Line Performance
ABOUT ME

3. About BLP
We help you design and
develop the right learning
solution.
We are also the creators of
the Knowledge Guru®
Platform.
Bottom-Line Performance 3

4. What We’re Going to Do

5. Set the stage:
what’s a game,
how are they
useful?
Prove it! Case
studies that show
value
Show/tell: 6 tips
for creating good
games

6. Answer final
questions

7. Let’s Playa Game
1. Get a piece of scrap paper and a pen. Write
numbers 1 – 14.
2. Take 30 seconds to think of the words that
should be part of the definition of the word
“game.”
3. Write them down.
4. After 30 seconds, I will share the “right” 14
words. I’ll poll the group and see who gets
all 14 – or the closest to all 14.
5. These “winners” will get a chance to win a
free book.
Bottom-Line Performance 7
Game loosely based on
Outburst

8. CorrectSequence
Bottom-Line Performance 8
1. Activity
2. Explicit
3. Goal
4. Challenge
5. Rules
6. Players
7. Interactivity
8. Players
9. Game Environment
10. Feedback Mechanisms
11. Cues
12. Performing
13. Quantifiable outcome
14. Emotional reaction
30
How many did you get?

9. AGAMEIS…
• An activity with an explicit goal or challenge
• Rules for players and the system (computer games)
• Interactivity with other players, the game environment (or both)
• Feedback mechanisms that provide players with clear cues on how
they are performing.
• It results in a quantifiable outcome (you win, you lose, you hit the
target, etc.) and often triggers an emotional reaction in players.

10. 10Bottom-Line Performance
Mental
Involvement
Memory
Builders
Motivation Cognitive Balance Relevant Practice Specific, Timely
Feedback
Emotion Spaced Repetition Story Ability to Retrieve
+ + +
+ + =
Buy-in:GamesEnableExecutionoftheLearning&
RememberingEquation

11. 9 LearningGameDesignSteps
Bottom-Line Performance 11

12. Lessonsin Doingthe Steps
• Play games to make good games.
• Choose game elements that support learning
goals.
• Playtest. A lot. Prototypes are power.
• Players need help figuring out how to play.
• Less is better re: complexity of design.
• Scoring is harder to get right than you think.
Bottom-Line Performance 12

13. 1.PLAY GAMES
The best way to learn game design is to play games and evaluate
their designs.

14. 1. PlayGames;Evaluateas You Play
Bottom-Line Performance 14

15. EvaluateWhat You Play
• Game Goal? Fun, not fun, fun enough?
• How did you achieve it? (That’s called “core
dynamic BTW)
• What game elements were used in each game?
(Lots of possibilities!)
• How did you know how you were doing?
• What ideas could you pull into learning game?
Bottom-Line Performance 15

16. Then ExploreLearningGames
Bottom-Line Performance 16

17. 17Bottom-Line Performance

18. Bottom-Line Performance 18
http://med.stanford.edu/septris/game/SeptrisTitle.html

19. Things to Evaluate
Bottom-Line Performance 19
Game Component Things to Evaluate
Game Goal Is it challenging? Do you like it?
Instructional Goal What are you supposed to be learning?
Core dynamic(s) Do the core dynamics link well to the learning goal/needs?
Game mechanics Do the rules support the learning? Detract from it?
Game elements
What game elements are part of this game and how do they enhance
the learning experience? Detract from it?
Feedback
How do I know how I am doing? Is it useful from a learning
perspective?

20. 2.PROTOTYPE&PLAYTEST
(MORETHANONCE)
Commercial games are play tested dozens to hundreds of times.
You won’t have it right after one or two tries.

21. Version1 – “Sortof like Clue”
Bottom-Line Performance 21

22. Version2–“Let’stry
this”(aka“ourreally
bad idea.”)
Bottom-Line Performance 22

23. Version3-Now we’regettingsomewhere!
Bottom-Line Performance 23

24. Version4 - By George,we’vegot it!
Bottom-Line Performance 24

25. Allow yourself multiple rounds of
playtesting and iteration.
Multiple may mean 4; it may mean more to
a lot more.
Bottom-Line Performance 25

26. Playtesting with early prototypes done on paper
or with prototyping tools saves $$ and time later.
Bottom-Line Performance 26

27. Prototyping…what is it?
Visuals are probably better
than words here.
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=k-nfWQLmlMk
Bottom-Line Performance 27

28. PrototypeExample
Bottom-Line Performance 28

29. PrototypeExample
Bottom-Line Performance 29

30. PrototypeExample
Bottom-Line Performance 30

31. Withprototypes &playtests, IDthese things:
1. Is the game idea fun?
2. Will it help people learn what you want them to learn?
3. Are you choosing good game elements? Are you missing
opportunities to include others?
4. Are your rules clear? Is the game easy enough to learn?
5. Is the cognitive load on the learner too high, too low, just
right?
6. How complex will the game be to make?
Bottom-Line Performance 31

32. You can use these to create…
Bottom-Line Performance 32

33. Or someof these cooltools…
Bottom-Line Performance 33

34. Or justPPT…
Bottom-Line Performance 34

35. 3. CHOOSEGAMEELEMENTSWITHCARE
Elements should reinforce – or at least not distract from – the
learning goal you have.

36. You’remakinga gameon…
Bottom-Line Performance 36
1) Time 2) Cooperation
4) Chance
3) Strategy
5) Levels
Identify some learning game play situations where you would want to use each of
these elements. Use the Question response to share your ideas.

37. Game Element
Time
• As a constraint that mirrors real-life constraint
• As a resource earned based on performance
• Compress it to mimic real-life work cycle
Cooperation
• If real-life task being taught requires cooperation with others, try to
create game that is cooperative
• As a way to illustrate interdependence of roles
Strategy
• To force choices and require people to evaluation options and decisions
– as they would in real-life
Chance • To simulate random events or actions that are part of a situation or job
Levels
• To help people learn the game by playing the game.
• To allow varying skill levels to play.
• To increase difficulty as people build skill.
Bottom-Line Performance 37

38. Example: aesthetics and theme influence desire to play.
They can also correlate to a workplace concept or
overarching theme.
Bottom-Line Performance 38

39. 39Bottom-Line Performance

40. 40Bottom-Line Performance
Or this?

41. 41Bottom-Line Performance

42. 42Bottom-Line Performance

43. 4. PLAYERSNEEDHELPFIGURINGOUT
HOWTO PLAY
But they never want it.

44. Build help in via levels, resources, and tutorials. Most of the time,
don’t offer choice to skip tutorial on first play through. They will ALL
skip – and then struggle.
Bottom-Line Performance 44
Early prototype – no tutorial Later iteration – tutorial, guided play

45. 5. LESSISMORE
You have greater odds of achieving your learning goal if you keep
it narrow rather than wide.

46. Decrease complexity. The #1 design mistake novice designers make is
making things too complex.
Bottom-Line Performance 46
Example: www.bottomlineperformance.com/passwordblaster
Consider focusing on ONE learning objective.

47. 6.SCORINGIS HARDTO DOWELL
Match your scoring and rewards to job context when you can.
Even when you can’t, make sure you are rewarding for
knowledge/skill acquisition.

48. Scoring
shown here
matches
job context
of players.
Bottom-Line Performance 48

49. 49Bottom-Line Performance
Players
earn/lose
territory sales
based on
knowledge
they can
apply to sales
challenge.

50. 50Bottom-Line Performance
As in the
real-world,
complaints
and
customer
satisfaction
influence
performance
and sales as
well.

51. 51Bottom-Line Performance
Also as in the
real-world,
the kinds of
questions
you pose
influences
how the sale
goes.

52. AbouttheProject
We partnered with TE Connectivity
(TE) to create a mobile learning game
for smartphones that helps
distributors learn about their
customers, and the applicable
products for each customer so they
can position the right products with
the right customers.
Bottom-Line Performance 52

53. 53Bottom-Line Performance
Business Goals
Help TE’s 2,500 distributors
understand the needs of five
primary customer types and
position a wide range of TE
products with these customers
to meet their needs.

54. Results
• The app has been used 2,300+ times
by 355+ distributors, and 100% of
distributor users surveyed said they
learned something about TE products
while playing TE Town.
• TE Town led to increased adoption of
the sales enablement program by
drawing in distributors who were
previously not taking training.
• Anecdotal feedback: “It was the best
way to learn about our products by
ourselves. I love it!”
Bottom-Line Performance 54

55. Awards
Bottom-Line Performance 55

56. PlayerExperience
1. Game goal is to
construct a
metropolis.
2. Learning happens
through play – and
through use of
resource tool.
Bottom-Line Performance 56

57. TETownusesmini-games,microlearning
Bottom-Line Performance 57

58. Playerdataappealstoachievement-focusedreps
Bottom-Line Performance 58

59. Things to Notice
1. There is an overall game goal (construct/build town and
maximize treasury). Mini-games each have dynamic too.
2. This game is very targeted. It’s probably not fun if you
know zero about TE Connectivity or its products.
3. Every “plot” in the town has a series of mini-games that
work together to build knowledge. A singe mini-game only
gets you so far.
4. Most players (sales reps) only to 3-5 customer types. We
assume most players will not play to the end.
Bottom-Line Performance 59

60. CaseStudy:Feeding the World
1. Game goal: Work
together to feed an
ever-increasing world
population, achieving
production goals
each year.
2. Learning goal:
Reinforce all the
safety steps and
environmental
protection steps
taught during the
previous 3.5 days of a
NEO workshop.
Bottom-Line Performance 60

61. Bottom-Line Performance 61
Game play consists of
four “rounds” with 7
turns to a round. Each
round equates to 1 year
of time. Number of
people to feed each
year increases to match
real-world increases.
The 7 turns mimic the 7
steps of mine to market
process. Play
complexity increases in
final two rounds.

62. 62Bottom-Line Performance 62
Resource cards – Total of 8
resources you can use on each
turn. Most turns require 1-2.
Inspector Cards – Reflect
“chance” and can help or
hurt your performance.
You draw Inspector cards
if the Inspector symbol
comes up on a die roll.

63. 63Bottom-Line Performance 63
Scenario Cards – Drawn on every turn.
Player reads scenario aloud and 1)
chooses the appropriate resource(s)
to handle the scenario, 2) describe
specifics of how resource(s) get used.
After responding, player hands card to
teammate on his or her right. That player
flips the card and reads the correct
response. Correct responses let team earn
a phosphate toward the goal.

64. Learning+ Game
1. Company mission linked to game goal.
2. Progress through game mirrored real-world process of going from mine
to table.
3. Learning goal is to get players to match on-the-job resources to real-
world scenarios they will encounter and to correctly identify
appropriate use of resources. Game elements matched this.
4. Game element being collected (phosphate) is what the players actually
mine.
5. Game board illustrated 7-step process.
6. Ever-increasing # of people to feed mirrors real-world statistic.
7. Chance cards reflected good/bad things that really happen on the job.
8. Mining inspections incorporated as “chance” element as well.
Bottom-Line Performance 64

65. RepeatAfter Me
1. ___________ games to _________ good games.
2. Playtest ______. _________ are power.
3. Choose elements that support _________
__________.
4. Players need help figuring out ___ __ ______.
5. _____ is better re: complexity of design.
6. Scoring is harder to get ______ than you think.
Bottom-Line Performance 65

66. RepeatAfter Me
1. Play games to make good games.
2. Playtest a lot. Prototypes are power.
3. Choose elements that support learning goals.
4. Players need help figuring out how to play.
5. Less is better re: complexity of design.
6. Scoring is harder to get right than you think.
Bottom-Line Performance 66

67. Resource to
help you…
https://www.td.org/Publicati
ons/Books/Play-to-Learn

68. THANK YOU!
SHARON BOLLER
CEO and President
Bottom-Line Performance
sharon@bottomlineperformance.com
@Sharon_Boller (Twitter)