What is a Corporate Applied Game?

What is a corporate applied game?  Simply put, the definition of a Serious Game covers any efficient tool to translate, and convey specific messages through gamified immersive experiences. It can be organized either in-person, remotely or in hybrid mode. When used by organizations, these experiences foster engagement, collaboration, and information retention among participants. Although, it may have other purposes, it’s a powerful solution to make training more attractive by adding gamification.

The origins of the applied game

But, where does the applied Game come from? Philosophers, researchers in education science, business and training academics and practitioners … All have played their part in the emergence of the corporate applied Game.

Actually, the critical importance of doing and playing for knowledge acquisition is a long-standing finding. In Ancient Greece, for instance Plato said that “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation”. Later, this quote from Montaigne who advocated for adaptation and experimentation in education: “rather a well-made head, than a full one” remained famous.

Concerning more directly adults, organizations and applied Games, pioneers include:

• Edgar Dale who developed the learning cone in the 40s which distribute the learning experiences in a pyramid based on their abstraction level;
• The researchers of the National Training Institute who revisited in the 60s Edgar Dale’s mode. They developed the Learning Pyramid which classifies learners’ retention depending on the learning methodology. Despite critics, it’s still debated among searchers.
• Clark C. Abt because the very term of applied game is attributed to him. He conceptualized the interest of this medium to convey a wide range of non-recreational messages in his book “Serious Game” dating back to 1970.
• Charles A. Coonradt who examined the productivity and employee engagement with a game perspective in his book “the Game of Work” in 1973.
• Ben Sawyer and David Rejeski who studied the use of video game for purposes other than entertainment and co-founded The Serious Game Initiative in 2002.

Applied Game, what is the current situation?

Today, the Serious Game is widely used by organizations. Training, raising awareness, corporate culture integration … they expand and diversify in multiple directions. Besides, they are at the root of Emeraude Escape’s history which transformed both the boom of gamification in professional contexts and the digital boom in opportunities for organizations.

All industries use applied Game

• from B2C to B2B,
• from luxury industry to mass distribution,
• from private sector to public sector,
• from health bodies to military bodies,
• from distribution to transportation,
• from finance to manufacturing.

A bit of illustration with a few examples of organizations who asked Emeraude Escape to design and develop a applied Game.

With a global and leading presence, Emeraude Escape has observed first-hand this trend for more gamification in organizations, and participated with tailor-made, premium and engaging applied Games designed for well-known brands with employees all over the world.

In summary, it has become more common for organizations to use applied Games. Additionally, according to a study by Businesswire, learning and education application of applied Games is expected to witness significant growth in the upcoming years. The market may rise by 26,37% over the period 2021 – 2026. In other words, more organizations are going to use the applied Game in the future.

Typically, every team who needs to educate an audience can benefit from a applied Game, and meet objectives in terms of HR, Training, Workplace Safety, Corporate Social Responsibility, Cybersecurity etc. Why? Applied Games encourage involvement, reinforce the attention span and maximize the engagement. The learners are no longer simply passive, they become active.

Discover more about our achievements and contact us to discuss with our Game Designers about the best format to suit the goals of your organization.