AN INTRO TO

Game the System™

A Proven Method to Level Up Your Training

and Development Through Gamification

Monica Cornetti

- Gamification Keynote Speaker and Strategy Designer -

A Publication of

© 2015

www.SententiaGames.com

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

Introduction: Game the System™ 3Making Business Processes Compelling by Making them Fun!

Chapter 1: Objectives… 8The Fundamentals of Fun!

Chapter 2: It’s Story Time 12Create an Epic Adventure

Chapter 3: Design Variety 15

Your Learning Activities

Chapter 4: Weave the Game 20Design and Mechanics

Chapter 5: Tally up the Aesthetics 23

So They Wanna Play!

Conclusion: The End Game 28

f t in

IntroductionGame the System™

Making Business Processes Compelling

by Making them Fun!

Game the System™Making Business Processes Compelling by

Making them 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.

f t in4

“Gamification is using game-based

mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to

engage people, motivate action, promote

learning, and solve problems.”

- Gabe Zichermann

5

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. In this

eBook we 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!

t inf6

Book a Workshop in your city or attend our next

scheduled Regional Workshop.

*HRCI, SHRM, and ATD Recertification Credits Available

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

CHAPTER

1Objectives… The

Fundamentals of Fun!

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

f t in9

f

“What exactly do you

want your audience

to know, do, and feel

as a result of the

training?

”- Monica Cornetti

Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

t in10

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

Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

11

CHAPTER

2It’s Story Time – Create an

Epic Adventure

It’s Story Time

Good games are framed around a compelling story. What do you

remember from a training or workshop 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

f t in13

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".

t in14

CHAPTER

3Design Variety into Your

Learning Activities

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

f t in16

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

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?

f t in18

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.

f int19

CHAPTER

4Add the Game Design and

Mechanics

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

f

Game Mechanics

t in21

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

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.

f t in23

CHAPTER

5Tally up the Aesthetics so

They Wanna Play!

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

f t in

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

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

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..

f t in

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

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

f t in29

f

“If someone asks the

participants what

they learned from

your training, how

would you like them

to answer?

”- Monica Cornetti

Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification

t in30

Ready to Level Up?

Game the System™Workshops and Certifications

The ultimate workshops for Chief Learning Officers,

HR Managers and Professionals*, Training &

Development Specialists, Innovators, and

Entrepreneurs.

A 6-hour immersive, intensive workshop 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 Workshop in your city or attend our next

scheduled Regional Workshop.

*HRCI, SHRM, and ATD Recertification Credits Available

A Publication of

© 2015

www.SententiaGames.com