There has been a great deal of talk lately about a trend that has been consolidating itself for some time in the USA: gamification. It involves generating games and entertainment out of processes and methodologies that weren’t originally that way. That is why they’re called serious games.

In 2018, the gamification market generated 6.8 billion dollars, an amount expected to multiply by six over the next five years. 70% of the companies on the Forbes Global 2000 list are already using gamification techniques.

Gamification has also become a feature in numerous Spanish companies. But, as is always the case, when new methodologies arrive, there are some lingering doubts: can serious games generate a tangible output beyond contributing to team building and having fun?

Many companies have used gamification over the last two years and they can vouch for it. In fact, at the last Gamification Day, several of them (including Caixabank, Grifols, Boehringer, Pepsico, Celsa, Asepeyo and Almirall) spoke about the specific benefits they have obtained in the areas of involvement, innovation and training.

What are the main benefits of gamification for companies?

Gamification will bring value to any area. But its benefits are particularly relevant to human resources and people. They use serious games to:

• Foster co-creation and cross-disciplinary work in the organisation. This is because playing is a universal language that allows very different profiles to work together more fluidly (technical and sales staff, for instance) and that neutralises hierarchies.
• Foster an innovative culture in their transformation processes.
• Optimise their training programmes. Besides being a new format that participants enjoy, playing enables better learning of key messages regarding attitudes. There is nothing better than experiencing something if you want to assimilate and remember it.
• Detect profiles: when people play, they forget to pretend or hide things. So, you get to see what people are really like. This is very useful for onboarding and recruiting processes or to identify a type of profile that you need for a project or promotion.
• Optimise events: serious games provide the perfect balance between a fun activity and a tangible result from a work session. That is why they’re used for corporate meetings, sales conventions and management meetings.

The fact that gamification had its own space on the agenda at the last Talent Day shows the interest that its contribution is generating in human resources.

www.binnakle.com: Serious Games to Innovate