Reader Interviews

'Why Games Are Good For Business' (Helen Routledge)  

So what do people in the industry have to say about this book? And why is it getting attention? 

Interview with Pirita Pyykkönen-Klauck

Totem Learning: Firstly, could you introduce yourself?

Pirita: My name is Pirita Pyykkönen-Klauck. I am a learning expert and specialise in human behaviour, data science and artificial intelligence. My career path has taken me from academic research to product management and most recently, to building digitalised academies. I am passionate about providing people with training solutions that are effective and fun at the same time, including developing new learner analytics and gamification applications. 

Totem Learning: How did you find out about Helen’s book?

Pirita: I was working in a large corporation where I was responsible for the digital transformation of a training program. Much of the work in such a transformation is about the identification of correct training formats and methods to make sure training can deliver sustainable results. We had one urgent training scenario where it was clear that a game would be the best solution. Games were a new approach for that program and to start with, we needed to run a VR & mobile training game prototype project. I knew we also needed to try something new, combining serious games with adventure games. To keep the serious games part on track, I was looking for a book that would help me to do that. Helen’s book had just come out, so I decided to have a closer look into it.  

Totem Learning: What was your favourite part of the book?

Pirita: There are many parts I like. One that really resonate with me is “If I Feel It - I Remember It”. Our aim, back then, was to build a game that people would really like to play.  A game that would not only be motivating but, ideally, addictive. In game discussions, addictive often carries negative connotations as there are many associations to games involving violence, but who wouldn’t like addictive games when they are educational? I live in Berlin in Germany and use the public transportation daily. It is amazing how many people are playing games on their mobile phones while commuting. Every single day, I find myself thinking: if only we just had enough educational games that are equally entertaining as those games people are playing, we could learn so much more! Especially now when we know that the majority of the workforce needs new knowledge and skills to adapt to newly created roles as a result of digitalisation. The second part of the book that I also really like is the hands-on part that offers very useful and comprehensive checklists for the development and instructional design. I use them all the time to make sure nothing gets forgotten in the process.  

Totem Learning: Did you use this book to help with your own business?

Pirita: As I mentioned earlier, I was running a prototype project in a large corporation. Instead of waiting for any formal full-scale program to be set up, I connected with a very good game designer I knew from my previous company, Martin Dechant. I knew he was teaching a game design course at a university. We agreed to run the project together with his 22 students. We had to balance with the responsibilities: Martin taught general game design and I challenged that with the requirements of pedagogical aspects, learner analytics etc.  For me, the project was also one part of my work, so I personally needed to optimise my time. Helen’s book became my left hand in this project. It is so well organised that whatever I needed to double check, I was able to do that extremely quickly with her book. I have continued using the book ever since. Currently, I am working on an AI game engine for serious games, and it would be easy to get fully immersed on that part of the project. Again, Helen’s book makes sure that the other aspects also stay on track. 

Totem Learning: Who do you think should read this book?

Pirita: This is definitely a small handbook for every serious game designer, but the book also has a very important story to tell about management in any company. I don’t think the benefits of game-approach is well-enough understood yet. We know that with today’s methods, people forget around 80% of the content they learn. Games are a very powerful way of providing sustainable learning effects in a fun and self-motivating way. The games can be played anytime and anywhere which means that they are also great for reducing the time it takes to train new employees whilst making sure the existing employees can sustain a high competence level in the fast changing digital era. When we presented the prototypes of our first project, it was easy to convince of them of the benefits. But before that, when explaining to people about what we are doing and why, it did cross my mind that if I had just sent over Helen’s book for them to read, many unnecessary discussions could have been avoided. 

Totem Learning: Has this book made you realise anything or think of anything in a different way?

Pirita: When I was working in academia, I concentrated on what people can learn from games they play. And actually, it is a lot! But what I had previously ignored, is the fact that there is a really broad range of different games that have been designed for educational purposes. When reading Helen’s book for the first time, I remember writing down many ideas of how serious games techniques could be used to benefit traditional instructor-led courses and workshops - and how to advance the learner analytics within those. There is still so much potential to be discovered to advance measuring learning better than is done today.  

Totem Learning: Would you read more books by Helen Routledge?

Pirita:Absolutely. I hope she is already preparing a new one. 

Interview with Michael J Sutton (PHD, FBEI) 

Totem Learning: Firstly, could you introduce yourself?

Michael: I am a Game-Based Learning Innovator, Architect and Edupreneur. My current applied research focuses on architecting and delivering game-based learning environments that leverage increased learning and performance for:

• employee engagement, creativity, and innovation;

• design thinking;

• leadership, teamship, followship, communityship, and intrepreneurship/ entrepreneurship; and

• knowledge management, knowledge acquisition, production, sharing, and diffusion (knowledge mobilization).

My consulting practice, FUNIFICATION, provides advice to entrepreneurs, higher education faculty institutes, public sector organizations, and international enterprises on Game-Based Learning, Gamification, Serious Games, Simulations, and Immersive Learning Environments (VR/AR Research).

Totem Learning: How did you find out about Helen’s book?

Michael: Helen is a significant thought leader in the field of Gamification, Serious Games, and Simulations. A close colleague of mine, Eliane Alhadeff, made me aware of the text through a review Elaine published on her site https://www.seriousgamemarket.com.

Totem Learning: What was your favourite part of the book?

Michael: Two specific chapters stood out for me:

5/ The Case for Genuinely Blended Learning

The chapter was relevant for me because it touched upon one of the critical success factors I feel is associated with serious games and sims. These nontraditional instructional techniques need to be integrated with action learning in the classroom. In fact, RPG, (Role Playing Games) are certainly most successful with an in-person group of participants.

6/ How Was It for You?

I teach in MBA and DBA programs, and I can tell you that knowing and understanding the packaging of Return on Investment is the difference between receiving approval and a budget or being turned down, since many administrators just do not understand the impact on performance and engagement of Gamification, Serious Games, and Simulations. We need more reported evidence of the business value proposition.

If I were to pick a favourite quote from the book it would be: "Serious Games provide effective learning solutions for businesses, adding value to traditional learning methods. Simulations offer experiential education, providing professionals with the opportunities to test drive their knowledge in a safe environment. Here they can learn the direct outcome of their actions, which wouldn’t be evident for months, if not years, in the real world" (p.75).

Totem Learning: Did you use this book to help with your own business?

Michael: Yes, currently I am co-authoring a book on Game-Based Learning with an ex-Advertising Executive that will be published toward the end of this year. Since the new book requires I follow and quote many of the current luminaries, I can convey that Helen’s work and thoughts will be liberally quoted within the chapters I am writing. I have also recommended it to many university professors who wish to experiment in this emerging field as well as corporate HR and LTD colleagues.

Totem Learning: Who do you think should read this book?

Michael: The audience for this text spans a very large range of potentially engaged readers:

• Chief Learning Officers

• Higher Ed Educators

• College Instructors and Administrators

• Human Resource Directors

• Chief Talent Officers

• Instructional Designers

• ELearning Designers

• Game Designers and Developers

• Facilitators

Totem Learning: Has this book made you realise anything or think of anything in a different way? 

Michael: I have come to realize that Game-Based Learning is catching on, and catching on faster than I anticipated, both in universities as well as enterprises. Helen has helped to demonstrate the critical business value proposition for using Gamification, Serious Games, and Simulations to augment face-to-face classroom teaching by educators who are fixated on increased engagement and learning.

Totem Learning: Would you read more books by Helen Routledge?

Michael: Helen has amassed an incredible background and passion applied to serious gaming and sims. Helen’s experience with Serious Games and Sims within the context of behavioural science and psychology demonstrates her thought leadership in the field. I follow the publications, games, and research of individuals involved with cognitive theories, and thus another text from Helen would be most welcome; and I hope that Helen can branch out into the AR/VR/MR fields.