I love Gamification. I know I mentioned it in my last post but I can't state it enough. It allows me to be creative and think of different ways to engage learners. It can be applied to almost any topic. Just ask yourself,"does the Gamification enhance the course?" I know sometimes I'm more excited about designing elearning Gamification than my learners are with taking the finished course.
One small problem... I am an instructional designer. I am not a programmer. Like many designers, I predominately use Storyline or Captivate to develop online courses. These softwares allow me to build some very basic gaming games features in such as tracking points, timers, levels, attempts, etc. Beyond those features, I am limited in what I can do.
I fear the day a customer comes to me and said,"let's make this similar to Final Fantasy. You know, a role playing game (rpg)." My first respond would definitely be,"I can build scenario based learning where learners have to choose different options. Beyond that, we may want to consider getting a video game programmer." Don't get wrong! I can do a lot within Storyline and I've never had a customer walk away unhappy. Times are changing though and so are the expectations of the workforce.
It would be a good idea to hire a video game programmer if your customer wants something more in depth. A programmer does not replace the instructional designer. No, the instructional designer still helps develop the content to cater to adult learners. The programmer, on the other hand, creates how the application responds and how it interacts with a user.
I am anxious to have an opportunity to work with a programmer on this sort of project. I have not had the opportunity yet. It would be such a fun time. Between the instructional designer and the programmer, the two of them can make a one-of-a-kind learning module.
This article may leave you with a lot of questions. Such as, what would each person do? Honestly, this is an emerging trend and I know very little about it. If I did start working with a program, I would jumpstart the project with a RACI chart. This can help both parties understand their responsibilities and increase efficiencies.
This trend will continue to grow. I anticipate it will eventually overlap with mobile and tablet learning. For example, maybe companies build an app for their learning modules or merely make it compatible for mobile browsers. So many options!
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