Among the most popular engagement strategies, gamification brings an element of fun that maximizes learning impact in corporate training programs. Instant feedback, scored systems, and timers are just a few of the elements of gamified VR training that produce top results. This learner-centric training strategy powers knowledge retention and sets a new standard for employee motivation and performance.

With hands-on practice and real-time feedback, gamification can ignite the energy of your dream team and foster a collaborative work environment. So, what are the real benefits of introducing gamified elements to immersive learning? Let’s explore three examples of gamified virtual reality training to see how gamification is an effective strategy to maximize learning impact in corporate training.

Maximize Learning Impact With Gamified VR Training

In order to maximize productivity, organizations must maximize learning impact first. A skill-based approach to hiring has shifted the corporate training paradigm, and gamified training persists as a learning model that achieves educational goals through interactive games. This approach doesn’t just allow learners to learn by doing—it incentivizes them to complete their training. When employees are engaged with gamified elements, they are more likely to achieve personalized learning goals.

Gamified learning is all about bridging education and fun by tying interactive games to real-world skills. Keeping learners engaged with reward systems, context-rich challenges, and timed training will help your organization elevate your training program’s learning foundation. Immersive learning keeps learners involved and motivated as they work towards goals and earn rewards. Once employees get hooked on game-like elements, they’re more likely to hit their learning targets. With timed training sessions that challenge learners and keep the excitement going, gamified VR training can be used as an effective way to motivate your workforce.

Attracting Talent with Gamified Learning

Virtual reality training attracts new talent with fun and exciting onboarding that connects learners with your organization on day one. While the roadmap for talent acquisition has changed, immersive onboarding experiences help organizations stand out from competitors. Instead of dull and monotonous training that wastes time and money, virtual reality provides realistic job previews that accelerate time to proficiency.

Whether your new hires are tech enthusiasts or simply digital natives who want to see modern technology in their new workplace, VR and AR are like a magnet to young people who are already familiar with immersive technologies and know how to use them. Gamified VR training can enhance your recruitment and retention strategy by engaging talent. With a moniker like “digital natives,” it’s no surprise that Gen Z finds extended reality learning experiences appealing. Millennials are also a target demographic for XR, as the need for continuous learning and upskilling can be fulfilled by XR’s experiential learning.

Enhanced Engagement with Gamification

People who aim to win don’t have time to be distracted! The power of gamified learning boosts engagement with game-based motivators that impact learning outcomes. Recent studies have shown that applying gamification in education can improve cognitive, motivational, and behavioral learning outcomes.

By tapping into emotional motivators, gamified VR training challenges learners to earn rewards on their own merit. Most adult learners are motivated to learn what they can apply right away. Gamification taps into this by providing real-time feedback that learners can use to self-assess their skills and retain the right knowledge to help them excel in their roles. Leaderboards, badges, and prizes are all popular scoring systems and incentives that organizations can integrate into their gamified VR training.

Skill-Based Training with Gamification

Gamified VR training targets specific skills within a game context. The trending shift towards skill-based hiring illustrates a need for hiring and training practices that advance employees. By tying learning objectives to how learners can “win” in a gamified VR program, their intrinsic motivation benefits their skill acquisition.

Gamified VR training pairs what we know about cognition and psychology to improve learning outcomes. As the immersive aspect of VR activates the brain, the gamified elements guide and motivate learners to improve the skills they’ll need most in their roles. Virtual reality programs give learners the opportunity to refine their skills through hands-on practice. By leveraging the benefits of gamification, VR can effectively prepare individuals for specific skill-based roles. Say goodbye to the skills gap!

Team Building with Gamification

Games foster a unique sense of collaboration that can unite your workforce. By enhancing immersive experiences with gamified elements, your team can troubleshoot their responses to danger during multi-player sessions.

Empower your dream team with the motivation to excel! Scoring systems are a tangible symbol of progress, encouraging learners to strive for top scores, thereby enhancing their performance. Gamification can add a sense of urgency to training by prompting learners to beat the clock and unlock rewards during their learning experience. Gamified content adds a little excitement into the mix while mimicking real-world scenarios that require time efficiency. Immersive learning also delivers consistent training experiences across your organization, allowing each team member to thrive.

3 Examples of Gamified VR Training

The benefits of gamified VR training are outstanding – but the real-world examples are even more compelling!

1. Gamified VR Onboarding

Although onboarding can significantly impact employee retention, too few organizations have the time to reimagine an engaging onboarding program that will propel their company forward. Creating a high-impact onboarding program requires making a great first impression.

Gamified VR onboarding focuses on relevant and role-specific skills. Ditching typical onboarding techniques and giving learners a hands-on, effective onboarding experience with positive long-term benefits can alleviate first-day jitters and improve long-term operational efficiency. Successful onboarding programs provide an overview of company history and values, outline goals and performance expectations, and thoughtfully designed training for company products, services, and processes. When done well, gamified VR onboarding connects employees with realistic performance expectations and affirms their decision to join your organization.

2. Gamified VR and Education

Virtual reality has made its way into educational spaces to immerse and delight young learners. By incorporating gamification to spark engagement and maximize learning, educators can keep their classrooms flowing with imagination and cutting-edge technology.

In an effort to illustrate welding as an exciting career option, Lincoln Electric created an all-in-one VR headset for middle-school students to complete interactive and gamified lessons that promote the fundamentals of welding. With visual cues and repetitive knowledge checks, students are introduced to critical welding skills such as travel speed, position, and contact tip to work distance as they undergo ten individual welding lessons. Accompanied by a friendly avatar, the gamified experience simulates real-world welding scenarios in a profoundly engaging way.

3. Timed VR Training in Supply Chain and Manufacturing

For fast-paced industries, keeping up with the speed of work can be a significant challenge for employees. Gamified VR training incorporates timed experiences to give front-line workers practice meeting these expectations, allowing them to repeat as many times as they need.

A great use case for gamified VR is order-filling, a demanding process that requires supply chain employees to be efficient both with time and problem-solving. In order to optimize the decanting process, where employees decant products from inventory into a tote, virtual reality immerses learners in a virtual warehouse environment and challenges them to decant products in a timed simulation. Challenged to sharpen their critical thinking skills, learners race against the clock as they fill totes. Learners are notified as many times as needed to correct their errors with physical action, each alert redirecting them on how to navigate the 3D dimensional space.

Post-training, employees are equipped to transfer their practice with a clear idea of what their role entails. Greater efficiency means fewer shipments, which creates tremendous cost savings. One less tote may mean one less truck, all thanks to employee quick efficiency honed in gamified VR.

Gamification and Virtual Reality: What To Avoid

While virtual reality and gamification go hand in hand, many XR training experts have worked overtime to advocate for VR training’s immense learning benefits. Gamified learning’s greatest caveat is separating traditional VR gaming from VR enterprise solutions. Here are two things to avoid:

Overuse of Gamification
Gamification Without Learning Principles

Psychologists suggest that gamified workplaces improve productivity, and skill-based development while fostering a collaborative environment. Despite these impressive benefits, relying solely on gamification is an oversight that can lead to superficial engagement. While gamification reaps major benefits when done well, VR enterprise solutions should stay selective and avoid excessive use of gamification.

Engage Your Workforce With Gamified Virtual Reality Training

Game-based learning enhances corporate training by using games to help employees achieve learning goals. Drive recruitment, enhance engagement, and deliver skill-based training with gamified VR training. The ripple effect in your organization will leave a lasting impact!

Keep your organization up-to-date with current XR trends and put on a headset yourself! Book your immersive learning demo today!