Category: Games and Gamification + Learner Engagement

SweetRush Tops Leaderboard in Game-Based Learning Awards

by Heather York

SweetRush’s game-based learning work has received recent notice, winning five Gold awards from the Brandon Hall Group for games and simulations and being named a top 20 creator of gamification in learning by eLearning Industry and Training Industry.

San Francisco, Calif., September 23, 2019 — In the game of life, there are some wins worth truly relishing. SweetRush, a global provider of custom learning solutions, is having such a moment—as is its client-partners—celebrating several recent game-based learning awards and honors—including just being named on eLearning Industry’s Top 20 eLearning Gamification Companies list. An arbiter of who’s producing the most noteworthy programs and breaking new ground among learning companies, eLearning Industry’s new list highlights the most innovative and trusted creators of games for learning throughout the world.

This inclusion on eLearning Industry’s list is SweetRush’s latest recognition for its use of gamification in learning in the last six weeks, having also been named a Top 20 Gamification Company by Training Industry—for the sixth consecutive year—and having 28 wins at the Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards, including:

  • 3 Gold awards in the Best Use of Games or Simulations for Learning category for:
    • A holistic sales training program featuring serious games that teach sales skills, mobile app product knowledge games, and a gamified learning portal
    • A sophisticated board game and simulation for sales managers 
    • A virtual reality simulation that builds empathy
  • 2 Gold awards in the Best Advance in Custom Content category for an online empathy-building simulation and an eLearning program with gaming elements

Given these collective honors, the creative collaborations between SweetRush and its world-class client-partners—who represent a broad cross-section of industries—are resulting in many best-in-class applications of gamification and game-based learning in the Learning and Development industry.

“Games are getting better and more sophisticated every day. With simulations and especially virtual reality, they’re considerably more immersive and can allow learners to experience an environment that might otherwise be too costly or too inconvenient for employees to travel to,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder, and Chairman of SweetRush. “But what’s very persuasive about games and simulations is the great instructional value and incredible effectiveness they can have. It’s not just about ‘fun and games’; there’s real merit to them.” 

“And we are fortunate to work with outstanding client-partners who are at the top of their respective industries,” continues  Schwartzberg. “They’re exceptional in their intellect, awareness, and willingness to take smart risks. When we all put our heads together, great ideas flow freely and bear real fruit. These honors are as much theirs as they are our team members’, and wouldn’t be possible without them.”

View more of our recent awards and other recognition for a variety of work.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 18-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet. 

We are over 175 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

Gamification and Employee Engagement: How Branding Helps

by John-Carlos Lozano

Gamification and employee engagement are intrinsically linked. When you use gamification in learning solutions, you find you have higher employee engagement. And yet there are times when gamification and engagement can both be boosted by something more. 

Recently, a gamification RFP landed on my desk that started me thinking, “How can branding, applied to a gamified solution, help enhance emotional engagement with learners?” Engagement is a critical aspect of any type of training, and the connection between engagement and retention is driving gamification solutions’ popularity—hence this client’s understandable request.

However, the client asked for a creative approach for a series of mini-games, or gamelets, to teach its customer service model to a demographic who is not game-oriented. Translation: Make it fun, make it memorable, and make it effective for this audience. A unique challenge.

So, how could branding play a part? Here’s how I explain “brand” to my wife.

“It’s that first impression you feel when someone new walks into the room,” I tell her.

That feeling speaks to the emotional part of our brain—the part that’s also fundamental to how we think and make decisions. Imagine a product package designed so well that you can’t wait to reveal its contents. Good brand design triggers a sense of anticipation and excitement—creating engagement. And good brand design is also a vehicle to deliver key messages about the company (our client) itself. So, it serves many purposes, and it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

To meet this proposal’s request for an innovative way to teach the customer service model, we designed unique logos that told the story in a fun and humorous way to make the content more approachable. For this demographic, we intentionally kept the navigation and game elements simple. We used brand elements as part of the game mechanics, which reduced user experience anxiety and put the player in “the flow”—a critical aspect for this nongaming-centric audience. The brand concepts added consistency and cohesion in the gamelets, regardless of the order in which they’re taken. A game map gives players the freedom to explore, see their progress, and see how each piece of the customer service model applies to the bigger picture. 

In Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, author Daniel Pink explains that emotional engagement “is made through allowing the end-user a sense of autonomy, progress, and sense of purpose,” all of which can be enhanced through the strategic use of branding. In this instance, we helped tell the story by packaging it with branding elements that enhanced how this “gamified” training sparked emotional engagement with the learners.

When designing brand elements, you examine similar data points as those used in designing the instructional approach and the game dynamics. You’re seeking the sweet spot—the place that speaks truth to and intrinsically motivates your audience and is true to the company’s brand.

The brand, instructional approach, and the game ideally work in sync to promote the same messages. When they all come together and are done right, the underlying messaging teaches the audience how their performance on the job impacts their work, careers, and even their lives. 

That’s memorable and motivational. And that’s emotional engagement.

Learn more about SweetRush’s approach to games and simulations for learning.

Download CTA Instructional Design Trends 2020 Report

 

5 Blogs to Inspire Your Next Game-Based Learning Solution

by Carolina Montero

Who says games are just for kids? Get inspired by these five blog posts and make your next game-based learning solution engaging, creative, and fun!

Imagine the scenario: You have to create a new learning solution for your employees and you want not only an engaging but an interesting and effective one so that no one will want to stop learning. Why not create a game?

We take games very seriously. So seriously, that some of our solutions have been recognized by the industry.

I bet you want to know what inspires our experts!

These five blogs will give you that inspirational spark or idea to make your next game-based learning solution engaging and effective. Bookmark your favorite—or should I say, game on? 😉

Let’s Learn from Monopoly

Monopoly, of course, is a very popular board game, and nearly all of us have at least one edition in our homes. In this blog post, learn what characteristics make McDonald’s version of Monopoly so effective and how you can use these features to take your game-based learning solution to the next level.
Read: 4 Lessons McDonald’s MONOPOLY Teaches about Learning Games

Step by Step: Create a Game with Articulate

Kids love challenges, and so do adults. This blog post features a fun eLearning solution using one of the top authoring tools in our industry: Articulate Storyline. As you will see, this game-based learning solution has great potential for both adults and kids.
Read: Digital Easter Egg Hunt in the E-Learning Household

Popular Games Are Always an Inspiration

The best way to learn how to make a learning game is by playing them and being aware of what elements popular games have that engage you. Find out what characteristics you can use in your next learning solution by leveraging those from popular games and game-based learning.
Read: Learning by Playing Games in Real Life

Design Strategies from Candy Crush

Candy Crush looks like a simple game, but it keeps players engaged. There are people who have been playing for years—through the 500-plus levels in the map—and will probably continue playing every day! If you are interested in creating a game-based learning solution, why not look at this game from a design perspective and gather some ideas?
Read: 4 Effective Gamification Strategies for Corporate Training

Inspiration from a SweetRush Internal Game

We’re not just a company that creates gamification solutions for our clients, we actually “walk the talk.” Within our asset management system, Cocoa, we created a gamification experience for employee engagement. For a completely virtual company like ours, this is a unique, educational, competitive, and engaging solution.
Read: How a Gamification Developer Games Its Employees

Want to learn more about game-based learning solutions? Check out our Games & Simulations page.

And keep an eye on our blogs: this one is the first in a new gamification series! Next I will show you the best five blog posts about gamification examples and techniques. 🙂