Examples of Serious Games to Raise Diversity and Inclusion Awareness

In today’s globalized workforce, organizations are recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in creating a healthy, productive work environment. While many companies have made strides in promoting these values, one innovative way to ensure these principles resonate with employees is through serious games. These interactive, engaging learning tools offer a fun and impactful way to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion while fostering an inclusive culture.

Serious games for D&I can challenge employees to think critically about biases, stereotypes, and behaviors that impact the workplace. By placing employees in various scenarios, these games provide an opportunity to explore different perspectives, learn about social dynamics, and practice inclusive behaviors in a risk-free environment.

Here are a few examples of how serious games are being used to improve diversity and inclusion awareness.

Maisons du Monde, a leading French home décor retailer, aimed to boost its employees’ understanding of diversity and inclusion during its annual Engagement Week. To achieve this, the company partnered with Emeraude Escape to develop an engaging microlearning game that would not only educate employees about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion but also engage them in an interactive and fun way.

• Inspired by the Paralympics: The game reflects the spirit of inclusivity and accessibility.
• 2D One-Scene Visual Layout: Simple yet engaging design featuring company identity and values.
• Interactive Game Elements: Employees explore key diversity aspects, cultural differences, and respectful communication.
• Six Languages Available: The game is accessible to employees across multiple regions.
• Integrated with Teach on Mars LMS: Mobile-friendly, allowing employees to access the game anywhere, anytime.

The microlearning game has proven to be an effective tool in raising awareness about diversity and inclusion among employees. By immersing employees in dynamic scenarios, the game promotes a deeper understanding of inclusion and fosters an environment of empathy and respect. Employees are empowered to reflect on their own biases and take actions that align with the company’s D&I values.

For more insights on Maisons du Monde’s gamified approach to Diversity and Inclusion, visit their case study.

TikTok, the popular social media platform owned by ByteDance, partnered with Emeraude Escape to develop an interactive escape game designed to enhance its workplace culture. The game focuses on improving communication, etiquette, and aligning with the core values of TikTok’s inclusive environment. Employees navigate through various scenarios, encountering challenging perspectives and making decisions based on TikTok’s cultural expectations. This engaging experience encourages employees to better understand the company’s inclusive values while promoting effective workplace behavior.

• Escape Game Format: Employees navigate through game modules simulating real-world communication challenges, making decisions based on TikTok’s core values.
• Diversity-Centric Scenarios: The game focuses on handling workplace situations like disagreements, misunderstandings, and differing viewpoints, promoting respectful communication.
• Interactive Experience: Players are presented with various solutions to each scenario, choosing the best response according to TikTok’s inclusive culture and ethical standards.

The escape game format encourages employees to actively think about inclusivity in communication and teamwork. By placing employees in decision-making roles, TikTok provides an opportunity for its workforce to engage with the company’s values in a real-time, interactive context. This type of training enhances D&I awareness and prepares employees to foster a supportive and inclusive environment within the workplace.

For more information on how gamified training can help improve workplace dynamics, explore our Diversity and Inclusion page.

Serious games offer a unique opportunity to create impactful training experiences that engage employees on a deeper level than traditional training methods. By combining interactive gameplay with D&I content, companies can encourage employees to reflect on their own biases, explore new perspectives, and develop behaviors that align with their organization’s core values.

Some of the benefits of using serious games for D&I awareness include:

• Promoting Empathy: Serious games place employees in challenging scenarios that help them understand the experiences of others, whether related to gender, race, disability, or other aspects of diversity.
• Encouraging Reflection: Gamified scenarios prompt players to think critically about their choices and actions, encouraging self-awareness and positive behavior change.
• Fostering Inclusivity: Through game-based training, employees learn about the importance of inclusivity in the workplace and how to make decisions that support diversity, equity, and belonging.
• Interactive Learning: Serious games keep employees engaged by making the learning process interactive and immersive, ensuring that the training is memorable and impactful.

The interactive nature of serious games is what makes them such a powerful tool for training. Traditional D&I training, often based on lectures or reading materials, can sometimes fail to engage employees fully. However, by incorporating game mechanics—such as challenges, scenarios, and rewards—companies can create an immersive and engaging learning environment.

Key benefits include:

• Increased Engagement: Employees are more likely to engage with training that is fun, interactive, and gamified, making them more invested in the learning process.
• Deeper Understanding: Serious games allow employees to step into different roles and explore diverse perspectives, which deepens their understanding of D&I issues.
• Behavioral Change: By actively participating in game scenarios, employees can practice making better decisions and foster inclusive behaviors that they can apply in the workplace.

Serious games are transforming the way companies approach diversity and inclusion training. Whether you’re looking to improve communication, raise awareness about unconscious bias, or foster a more inclusive company culture, gamified learning experiences offer a powerful solution. By using serious games, organizations can engage employees in meaningful ways, helping them learn valuable lessons that can translate into real-world actions.

Are you ready to start using serious games to improve D&I awareness in your workplace? Contact us today to learn how we can help you develop customized gamified learning experiences that promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging.