We have all become very attached to devices and technology of some kind to carry out our daily activities. I personally would find it hard to carry out my business without access to technology. There are days too, that I am glad to switch off and return to physical books or to not be contactable on a long haul flight.
In gamification, it is perfectly possible to build a gamified experience without the use of technology. It will require more imagination, potentially raiding the toys cabinet and investing in pens, paper, flipcharts and whiteboards. If you want to unleash creativity, change your regular devices for something much more fun.
In training, I have had tables and chairs taken out and pens, paper and toys put in the middle. None of my workshops happens without some form of physical toys. In my experience, it always creates a different energy than just going through the regular motions of working linearly on the devices we are always used to. If you want people to sit down and talk, why not bring board games. If you want people to collaborate, have them build something together.
In learning, think back to the days where you didn’t have the technology. Yet you also learned. What was it that made you learn? Seriously, how did you do it?
My guess is that you may have playtested an approach, experimented or you asked someone that looked like they knew what they were doing to show you how it is done or you just mimicked their actions. Remember the stories and fantasy that was used to come up with things.
I love playing new board games that I have never played before, just to see how they work and learn new insights. I tend to dip my toe in the first time around to make sure I understand first and then play. Once I understand, the enjoyment of playing increases. But that may not be how you learn best, so observe when you play a new game, what your strategy is for learning, playing and enjoying the process.
The more enthusiastic the person is about a topic, the higher the likelihood you want to hear what they have to say. Science storytellers like David Attenborough fascinate even without the fancy graphics of our television screen. I think there is a correlation between enthusiasm and inspiration if I truly let someone in on what excites me about games, game design and gamification then I often receive the feedback that they felt inspired to take it further or at the very least be open-minded about it. Typically this happens in conversation or when I speak at events. And although I will have some images with me, typically they are not the essence but how I pass on the information is.
So I guess my quest for you over the next few days, is to take time away from your devices and try something new, then observe how you learn non-digitally. What your process is to reach enjoyment of it?
