The word “Gamification” might not instill confidence as a means for corporate learning or simulating a real-life working environment but it’s being embraced like never before. Gamification is an amalgamation of technology and psychology which makes a mundane exercise in a business learning environment fun and engaging. According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), there are two kinds of gamification, namely structural and serious games. The structural games include gaming elements like badges, leaderboards etc. whereas the serious ones are dedicated to training simulation.

Simulation-based gamified learning is the science of recreating real-life scenarios through animation or re-enactment, allowing the participants an intricate understanding of specific tasks before being inducted in a real-life scenario. Some industry tasks require expert training, for instance, aeronautics, medical, fashion, and manufacturing, which are better taught and understood through visualization than traditional training methods.

McDonald’s, for instance, have in association with City & Guilds Kineo have designed a realistic till training game. This game simulates the new tiller system, and test users expertise to deliver a satisfying customer experience. PWC, on the other hand, has developed a game called “Multipoly” designed closely on the heels of a famous board game “Monopoly”. The purpose of the game is to ascertain prospective candidate’s competency to solve real-world problems based on PWC core competencies.

Lack of fun at work and training is the key factor in high attrition rates in today’s dynamic recruitment landscape. Gamification adds fun to the learning exercise by incentivizing tasks with an added opportunity to earn certificates, badges and even monetary gains based on final points accrued. A synergistic effect of learning with gamification principles results in employees increased performance, improved productivity and motivation.

Gamification technique taps on the basic human desire for achievement and recognition to achieve the desired results from the simulation based gamified learning experience. The act of learning with gamification principles ensures that employee relates better to situations when presented in real life. It helps to bring people together and collaborate around company culture. With the help of gamification, the HR executives can forestall unhappiness by leveraging intrinsic motivators to drive desirable employee behavior and mitigate the losses incurred due to the high attrition rate.