USING COMMERCIAL GAMES FOR LEARNING

OVERVIEW

We love games! And we love using games when delivering training, or when teaching. We bet you do, too—or, you would not have taken a peek at this page.

The good news is that the use of learning games has become pretty pervasive in training and other learning experiences. The bad news is many use games ineffectively when trying to reach the objectives they actually want.

This two day, in-person workshop focuses on leveraging commercial games, so you get the results needed. Not only will you experience tons of off-the-shelf games applied to various learning contexts, but we will share with you how to modify the game play as you align to your goals. We will share a debrief format to ensure your participants take away the lessons intended. We will also discuss major risks and pitfalls when using games, specifically commercial games.

Throughout the two days, we will provide the theoretical framework and the business case for incorporating games into your learning designs.

We will introduce you (if you are not already playing them) to games like Forbidden Island, Fluxx, Pandemic, Barnga, Code Names, Hanabi, Timeline, Civilization, and more. Some take a while to play—so we will show you how to keep your eye on the instructional outcome and not get derailed by the gameplay itself. We will give you a decision-making process for picking a game. And we will help you think through the logistics of buying, traveling, and setting up the games.

On Day Two, you will have a chance to pick a game (from the pile we bring along with us) or use your own. You will rapidly design a module and then facilitate it partially or entirely. The cohort and facilitators will provide guidance and feedback.

Objectives

By the end of the workshop, you will learn to:

1. Choose which game to use in your learning design according to both your objectives and logistical constraints.

2. Adapt commercial games to your learning designs.

3. Facilitate games for learning… and not just have the participants play merely for fun.

4. Debrief the game using a tried-and-true debriefing methodology to ensure your key take-aways indeed get taken away.

5. Manage the logistics of using games.

Your Facilitators

KARL KAPP has over 27 years of experience as a professor of instructional technology and 15 years as the Director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University— now Commonwealth University, He helps people understand the convergence of learning, technology, games and game-thinking through fun, laughter and insight. As the founder of the Learning and Development Mentor Academy, he provides seasoned L&D professionals with access to a library of on-demand, self-paced workshops, monthly live sessions, and a vibrant community of peers and experts. Karl also co-founded Enterprise Game Stack, a company that designs, develops and delivers online, digital card activities and games that keep participants focused, engaged, and collaborative, while reinforcing learning both in the moment and over time.

MATT RICHTER is the President of The Thiagi Group. He is a facilitator, game designer, instructional designer, and management consultant. Matt has consulted and delivered training with many organizations including Grant Thornton, SanDisk, Redwood Trust, CenturyLink, Imerys, EA, Microsoft, IGT, Cadence Design Systems, and Sony. He is an expert in the areas of management, leadership, motivation, and performance technology. His book, The Leadership Story: A New Model for Leadership was published in 2016. In 2020, he co-authored, LOLA: Live Online Learning Activities with his partner, Sivasailam Thiagarajan (Thiagi). And in 2024, the two published Interactive Techniques for Learning with LDA Press. Matt is co-organizer of LDA (The Learning Development Accelerator), a professional membership group for people in the learning and development field, where they encourage the use of research-inspired and evidence-informed practices. Matt teaches at EMLyon, in France, as a part of their executive MBA program.

Price

Price for all LDA membership levels: 900€