How Playful Design Brings Innovation
In today’s world, everyone is always looking for innovation. We often hear about it in the workplace, in education, research, healthcare, and many other fields. So how can one keep up with these new trends and make tools that are accessible to everyone, at the same time?
Introducing: Applied Games!
Applied Games, to put it simply, are games with a goal beyond just entertainment. For example, encouraging teamwork in the workplace, teaching about a specific subject, or spreading a message to cause behavioral change.
These games are meant to be fun and interesting, using their playful design to make people want to play them, and then deliver the intended message using the game’s mechanics, theme, and various design elements.
As the designers at 8D Games (one of the largest Applied Games studios in Europe) put it:
“These types of games are not boring and dusty. On the contrary, because then no one would play them…”
Today, Applied Games are a rapidly-growing option to solve real-world problems. They are currently used in fields such as education (for both children and adults), research, advertising, training, human resources, and more.
How and Why Do Applied Games Work?
The appeal behind Applied Games is that they can achieve their goal in a unique way: through play. There are many reasons why games are particularly well-suited for certain applications:
Games are Fun!
Playing games is part of human nature, we’ve all been playing games since we were kids, so we are naturally drawn towards them.
Playing a game sounds like a better incentive than following a lesson or reading an article about a topic, making it so more people will be wanting to interact with them.
Games in this case can be like a sweet-tasting medicine: easier to swallow than a bitter pill, but still achieving the same purpose.
Games are Interactive!
Games are different from any other type of media, as in, they allow the players to directly interact with the game’s elements, allowing more experimentation and exploration of a certain topic.
It’s one thing to read about something, or watch a documentary, but it’s a completely different experience to be able to interact with it, while immersed in the game’s world. This way, games are particularly effective at teaching or communicating a message, as players can directly experience it through the game.
Games are Memorable!
The most important part of a game is the experience it creates. The feeling of competing or collaborating with friends, the story of overcoming a challenge, or the emotion of playing can create very strong ties within our memory. These experiences usually remain in our heads long after the game is done.
This makes the message attached to these games also stick with the players, meaning that they will remember what they learned from the game for longer.
Want to Talk About Applied Games?
We develop Applied Games because we believe that games can be more than
just entertainment, but rather a tool for problem-solving and innovation.
We’d be happy to read your message if you want to talk about Applied Games! Or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter to get more insight into our work and Applied Games in general.