The purpose of this paper is to encourage a fresh and more engaging approach to the design of cost‐effective corporate staff training and assessment programs. Conventional eLearning programs concentrate on building knowledge in which activities usually consist of reading, listening and watching videos or animations. These programs can only hope to measure the retention of information using True/False, Multi‐Choice and other simple question types. But organizations do not simply need knowledgable employees – they need competent ones.
This article describes how “Serious Games” can give employees of all ages and varying experience the opportunity to acquire knowledge and apply it effectively by tackling realistic, workplace‐relevant tasks against challenging targets. Two case studies are outlined and a “top ten” tips for effective serious game development is provided.
This paper is not based on a scientific study of applying the approaches described. The approach has been developed by the author over the past ten years and is in successful use in several large UK organizations.
The approach described will be of value to Training Managers seeking a more effective way of engaging and developing the new generation of employees.
