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Sections Pages Statistics e lu
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GAME BASED LEARNING

IN 2018

How are games changing the L&D industry?

How effective is game-based learning?

So the CIA uses games for learning, but should I?

What should I be doing in 2018?

And many more answers to questions you need to be asking

COPYWRITE BRAIN GAMES 2018

 The trick to education

is to teach in such a way
that people don’t realise
that they are learning
until it’s too late.

Harold Eugene Edgerton

 ABOUT THIS REPORT

Thank your for reading

this report. We have put a
lot of work into it and we
are proud to present to
you the most up-to-date
information about the
fastest growing learning
solution for adults:
game-based learning.
Our best hope is that this
will help you understand
where we are today and
where the future happens
when it comes to
corporate learning.

ABOUT BRAIN GAMES

We were originally
founded in 2015 and the
company rebranded itself
around our bestselling
learning game, Brainiup.
We design, develop and
deliver learning games for
companies across Europe.
We are currently based in
Bucharest, Romania.
You can find out more
about Brainiup by visiting
www.brainiup.com.

3
4
SUMMARY
FORWARD
An introductory note that
answers the question:
“Why is this the future of
learning”.
page 8
WHAT IS GAME-BASED
LEARNING ANYWAY
Where we clarify common
misconceptions about
game based learning and
we compare it to classic
learning solutions and
with gamification.
page 12
5
DOES IT WORK?
Where we go through a
much needed overview of
the science behind it and
what recent studies have
found.
page 17
2017
An overview of the state of
the industry in 2017.
page 21
2018 & BEYOND
What to look for in 2018
and what are the major
trends five years from now.
page 27
HOW TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THIS
Ideas about how to make
game-based learning
work for you.
page 35
BRAINIUP
An overview of our own
game based solutions
page 41
 Before going forward,
here is a challenge for you:

How many of the surveyed CEO’s

report playing games during
business hours?

A. 61%
B. 41%
C. 21%
61%
 Lev
e l1

FORWARD
An introductory note that
answers the question:
“Why is this the future of
learning”.

8
FORWARD
In 2017 we have seen fantastic
growth of gaming in the learning
industry, from gamification to
game-based and simulation based
learning solutions.
Also, more studies have been
conducted and published on
games for learning and we have a
lot more data about the efficiency
and the impact of these solutions
on the learner.
Some surprising findings talk
about the increase in the number
of companies that have introduced
gamification and games in their
training & development portfolio
and the rise of non-tech game-based
learning solutions.
2017 was also the year we saw a
surge in gamification conferences
around the world, with events
taking place in multiple European
countries and also in the United
States, Asia and Australia.
9
But perhaps the biggest gain for
the year that has just passed is the
shift from a “gimmick” mindset to
an “established field” one: people
have come to consider games and
game elements as being more
than just about fun, now that the
ROI of it all has become increasingly
clear.
In Romania the market has been
lagging behind, with most learning
professionals not yet on board, but
we have seen some good
initiatives from a number of
training companies.
This year we forecast a
continuation of this growing trend,
with more and more companies
and learning & development
professionals getting on the
bandwagon as it becomes clear
that games are here to stay (just like
they have been since the
beginning of time).
Robert Blaga
Geek in Charge at Brain Games
December 2017
 True or False?
Michael Jordan once said:

Be true to the game, because the

game will be true to you.
True
 Lev
e l2

WHAT IS GAME-BASED
LEARNING ANYWAY
Where we clarify common
misconceptions about
game based learning and
we compare it to classic
learning solutions and
with gamification.

12

WHAT IS GAME BASED
LEARNING ANYWAY?
gamification, game-based, serious
The easiest way to define game-
based learning is by telling you
how it works: people play a game
and they learn because of playing.
That simple. If it reminds you of
something, this is probably
because you already know that
children learn the most through
playing games.
While game-based learning has
been around since forever, the
actual birth of games specifically
designed to enhance learning took
place in the 1970s, with a game
called The Oregon Trail. If you’re
curios about it you can google it
and be amazed.
In recent years there has been a
vigorous battle over semantics:
games, what should we call all this
madness?
Our position is simple: as long as
it feels like a game and it behaves
like a game, it is a game.
So it would be fair to include in
this report data from the field of
game-based learning,
gamification, simulations and
serious games as parts of the
same ecosystem.
Even so, we would like to take
some time to make sure you
understand the difference between
all of these elements and their
uglier brother, classic training (be
it on-line or in a classroom).

Sometimes it is difficult to say whether something is

a “game” that trains people, or rather just
“training that is gamified.”

Yu-Kai Chou, one of the first people to ever

study and organize gamification into a
framework.

13

Superhuman infographic on the next page

GAM E B A S E D
L E A R N I N G
-he r o e s b e i n g o ne
th e s e f o ur supe r
Imagine ea c h o f l u t i on .
a r n i n g s o
type of le

GAME-BASED GAMIFICATION SIMULATIONS CLASSIC

FULL experience Game elements Scenarios where Learning

designed for included in non- learners must situation
maximum game situations, solve a real-life designed mainly
engagement and designed to situation, for knowledge
motivation, increase designed for transfer
suitable for engagement and critical thinking
knowledge behavioural and problem
transfer, change. solving.
behavioural
change, critical
thinking and
problem solving.

ANT SOM
E YED NO
I N ST DELA CK
B AC K B AC K BA B AC K
FEED FEED FEED FEED

Learning Learning Learning Learning

happens from all happens because happens because happens because
aspects of of increased of similarity with the trainer or
playing a game. engagement. the real life. computer
reinforces
content.

The size of the logo represents learning efficiency measured by the overall impact of the learning solution.
On average, gamers fail 80% of
the time, but they still consider
the experience to be enjoyable.

What do you think is the average

age of the typical game player?

15 25 35 45 55 65 75
35
 Lev
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DOES IT WORK?
Where we go through a
much needed overview of
the science behind it and
what recent studies have
found.

17

DOES IT WORK?
In an experiment conducted at
If only for the fun factor and
game-based learning would still
deserve a shot. Millennials are
especially sensitive to fun,
engaging experiences and games
are more likely to keep them
interested.
However, research spanning back
ten years has discovered that
games in learning have multiple
positive effects.
1. First one is obvious: enjoyment.
Positive emotions are more likely
to happen in a game-based
situation than in a classical one.
In a split experiment, participants
that went through a gamified
experience reported almost three
times more enjoyment than
participants in the classic version.
Another experiment was
conducted during the Oscars
Ceremony. In the game version,
the enjoyment increased by 50%
compared with the classic version.
2. The second one is also obvious:
engagement.
Over 89% of learners consider
even the smallest game-like
feature to increase engagement.
Also, an experiment on the
completion rate of a repetitive
challenge found that when game
mechanics were applied 99% of
the people were able to finish the
tasks, compared to just 30% in the
classic version.
18
3. How about knowledge transfer?
Achen University in Germany, a
game was developed and tested
against classic training for
manufacturing workers. The results
was an increase of 13% in the
accuracy for the game players
versus the non-players.
4. Does it change behaviour?
There are two types of behavioural
change we observe for game-
based learning: the first is a bias
towards action during the
experience. People are more likely
to contribute and interact with
other players, like it was found in
an experiment conducted in 2011:
participation increased from 68 to
83% for the gamified group and
the interaction between people
increased from 3% to 37%.
The second type of change we
observe concerns action outside
the gaming experience, with
productivity and motivation being
influenced by playing games.
Over 60% of CEOs play games
during working hours and half of
them report an increase of
productivity after playing.
Also, people who have played
Investment Games over time are
more likely to invest real money on
the stock market.
5. Critical thinking and problem solving
The CIA (Central Intelligence
Agency) has been using games to
train agents and analysts for some
time now. Their main focus is
developing their employees ability
to analyse situations in real time
and react in an appropriate
manner.
 CEO’s also play
DOES IT WORK?
Of the 61% that take
What numbers say daily breaks
to play games, 61%
more than half
What is the impact of game elements report being more
on people’s work? productive as a result.

“I would feel more

Knowledge transfer
engaged”
Comparing a classic


89% training against

a game-based version

showed an increase
in the accuracy and
quantity of knowledge. 13%
“I would be more
productive” What else?

80%
Increased contribution
From 68% to 83%

Increased in interaction
From 3% to 37%
“I would feel more
motivated” Increase in website visits
From 2 Million to 5 Million

60% A 47% increase in sales

A 60% increase in revenue

It increases enjoyment Increased completion rates

with more than From 30% to more than 90%

50% A 42% increase in time spent on task

So it works.
 Lev
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2017
An overview of the state of
the industry in 2017.
page 10

21
2017 - THE YEAR IT BECAME MAINSTREAM

Last year we have seen a huge amount of people,

communities and organisations jumping on the game-
based train. All over the world, the interest in applied
game principles and mechanics to learning and business
situations has reached such a hike that we can no longer
talk about a trend, but an actual established discipline.
GAME BASED SOLUTIONS HAVE TRULLY BECOME
MAINSTREAM.

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 TH
EW
OR
LD
$

15
Gamification,
7.9
game-based and Billion dollars is the
serious play size of the global
conferences. market
(learning & non-learning)

GROWTH
RATE FOR
GROWTH GAME BASED GLOBAL
RATE FOR SOLUTIONS GROWTH RATE
GAME BASED IN EASTERN FOR GAME OF LEADING
OF TOP SOLUTIONS BASED
1000 EUROPE TRAINING
IN LEARNING PROVIDERS
COMPANIES BUSINESS
USE GAME ARE
BASED DEVELOPING
SOLUTIONS LEARNING

37%
GAMES

36% 20%
50% 65%
MAY JUN JUL AUG
APR SEP
MAR OCT
FEB NOV

JAN DEC

23
 RO
MA
ROMANIA IS CATCHING UP
NIA
Romania is still behind many western countries when it comes to
game-based solutions in business, but it’s quickly recovering
ground.

Even among Eastern European countries, Romania is not present

at the top, with Russia, Ukraine and Georgia taking the lead.

However, we have seen good progress both in game-based

solutions in organisations and in game-based learning programs
developed or imported by local training providers.

TOP 3 TOPICS FOR GAME-BASED LEARNING PROGRAMS

TEAMWORK MANAGEMENT BUSINESS ACUMEN

Small tests were made on other topics

Time Management, Project Management and Change Management have seen some
good initiatives in 2017, along with financial education.
SALES training is still behind, although it probably has the highest
potential for growth.
Other topics that didn’t get enough attention are recruitment,
customer service and innovation.

4.7
500 MILLION EUROS IN
REVENUE FROM GAME-

4 APPROXIMATE 

NUMBER OF
IMPLEMENTED GAME-
BASED SOLUTIONS
(BOTH LEARNING AND
NON-LEARNING)
NEW GAME-BASED
LEARNING SOLUTIONS BASED PROJECTS
 RO
MA
NIA

The biggest challenge for game-based solutions in

Romania remains the superficial nature of the programs.

Companies are still designing around points, badges

and leaderboards, missing the actual point:

Game-based design speaks to

human motivation.
And motivation is much more complex than the simple
act of giving people fake prizes for action.

25
Congrats for reaching this point.
Because of the intense use of your pre-frontal cortex,
you’re brain has been using a lot of glucose.

In order to prevent mental fatigue,

we kindly ask you to take a
snack-break.
 Lev
e l5

2018 & BEYOND

What to look for in 2018
and what are the major
trends five years from now.

27
 TECH

NON-TECH
2018 - THE OFF LINE OFFENSIVE

Technology has done a great job so far in terms of game development

for non-game situations. As new technologies become widely available,
game-based solutions are taking the high path to Artificial Intelligence
(AI), machine learning, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
We will see more solutions along those lines in the following year, but
we expect them to be quite superficial, as most companies that have the
necessary tech expertise don’t yet have a deep understanding of game-
based learning.
In an interesting twist, the advances in technology have created an anti-
movement, where more and more people are trying to reduce the use
of technology and speak up against the negative impact it has on their
lives. As a result, of-line and face-to-face activities have seen an
increase and we expect this trend to be quite visible in the learning
market worldwide, but not in Romania, where tech solutions will
continue to grow.
While technology is here to stay (and eventually take over everything),
of-line games designed for learning will grow exponentially in 2018,
piggybacking on people’s need for a deeper social connexion.

28
 TH
EW
OR
LD
+4 GAME BASED - TECH
Estimated growth of over
20% for the next 4 years

+3 GAMES BASED - NON TECH

Estimated growth of around
18% for the next 4 years

+2 SIMULATIONS
Estimated growth of over
15% for the next 4 years

+1 MOBILE LEARNING
Estimated growth of around
12% for the next 4 years
WINNERS
-1
LOOSERS
E-LEARNING
Estimated decline of over
5% for the next 4 years

-2 CLASSIC IN-HOUSE
Significant lose in market
share of more than 12%
until 2022

29
 THE GLOBAL MARKET IN 2022
The overall market for game-based solutions will more
than double in five years, mainly because of advances
in technology and the growing demand from countries
in Africa and Eastern Europe.

20%
annual increase

$18 $8
Billion Billion
Overall game-based Game-based
solutions market learning market
New technologies will allow for a VR, AR and AI. These three
better integration of game acronyms will dominate the
elements in non-game contexts, learning industry in 2022, moving
like customer service, self- the learning & development
service, healthy leaving, profession away from teachers,
parenting, medicine and scientific trainers and coaches and into the
research. realm of data scientist, engineers
and software developers.
The huge demand from African
countries will add to this figure. Non-tech solutions will also
experience a growth,
piggybacking on the “need for a
tech brake” train.
 RO
MA

T
NIA

2018 IS THE YEAR THE MARKET STRUGGLES TO FIND TWO THINGS:

1. WIDTH

2.
D
E
P
T
H

31
 RO
MA
NIA
WIDTH
We will see a great increase in the number of
topics and contexts that will be covered by game-
based learning solutions.

Topics that will most likely get covered by game-

based mechanics in 2018: 20 % Market increase in

SALES - STRESS - RECRUITMENT - INNOVATION - CUSTOMER SERVICE. game based learning

solutions
New type of games will also appear this year, with
the most likely candidate being self-administered
games for managers and their teams. This is a 30%
20%
special kind of learning game that the team or the
manager can play without the help of a learning
specialist, like a trainer or a coach.
30 % Increase in the number
of game-based learning
solutions
DEPTH
The main struggle of the previous years, the
superficiality of game-based solutions, will finally
be addressed by players in the market, with two
main areas for solid development:

CONTENT:
Game-based learning providers will be forced to
curate and update their content. Today’s learner
can access high quality content in an instant, so
the challenge is to help him navigate, understand
and apply knowledge, and not to actually provide
it.

PROCESS
This is the holly grail of game-based learning and
we expect 2018 to be the year that game-play
moves beyond points and badges and more into
the field of deep human motivation.

32
This year, many more topics will
be addressed through game-
based solutions.

What is the one topic you would like to see

transformed in a learning-game?
 Send us an email with your
desired topic and we’ll work to
develop it.

hello@brainiup.com
 Lev
e l6

HOW TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THIS
Ideas about how to make
game-based learning
work for you.

35
THINK MOTIVATION, NOT GAMES

For buyers of game-based learning programs, the biggest challenge is to

avoid the “game-for-the-sake-of-the-game” trap. Don’t pick a learning
program just because it has “gamification” or “game” in the tittle. Take a
long, hard look at the content and a critical look at the proposed
process. Does it go beyond the obvious gimmicks (points, leaderboards,
badges)? Can the provider explain what human needs are touched in
each step of the process?

THINK PROGRESS, NOT PROGRESS BARS

For providers of game-based learning programs, your efforts should

revolve around designing from what you want people do achieve, not
from what game mechanics you know. Strive to understand why games
are fantastic motivators and move beyond the most obvious techniques
to more effective ones. Also, a game should not be designed with fun in
mind, but fun should be a byproduct of a good design.
 THE GAME-BASED LEARNING BUYER’S GUIDE

Use the questions bellow to make you choose the right game-
based learning solution for your company.

OBJECTIVE
DOES MY OBJECTIVE MATCH THE
GAME OBJECTIVE?
PLAYERS
ARE MY EMPLOYEES LIKELY TO
ENJOY PLAYING SUCH A GAME?
ACTIONS
IF PEOPLE PLAY THE GAME, IS IT
GOING TO HAVE A +IMPACT?
MECHANICS
IS THE GAMEPLAY APPROPRIATE,
INSPIRING & MEANINGFUL?
REWARDS
IS PLAYING THE GAME
REWARDING ENOUGH?
END GAME
WHAT SHOULD WE DO AFTER THE
GAME TO KEEP MOMENTUM?
 THE GAME-BASED LEARNING PROVIDER’S GUIDE

Use the questions below when designing a game-based learning

solution.

OBJECTIVE
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS METRIC
YOU ARE TRYING TO INFLUENCE?
PLAYERS
WHO ARE THE PLAYERS YOU ARE
TRYING TO ENGAGE?
ACTIONS
WHAT ARE THE DESIRED ACTIONS
YOU WANT FOR YOUR PLAYERS?
MECHANICS
WHAT GAME MECHANICS WILL
MOTIVATE THEM TO ACT?
REWARDS
WHAT TYPE OF REWARDS WILL
MAKE SENSE FOR THE PLAYERS?
END GAME
HOW WILL YOU END THE GAME
IN A MEANINGFUL WAY?
What game aspect is the
strongest motivator:

A. Fun
B. Meaning
C. Loss aversion
D. Rewards
E. Competition
F. Creativity
G. Social influence
 TRICK QUESTION.

It really depends on
the type of player.
 BO
SN
US
LEV
EL

BRAINIUP
An overview of our own
game based solutions

41
We have focused our approach on developing games
that have two distinct qualities:

1. Content that is 100% based on science.

We mainly use neuroscience, but also include recent findings
from economics, psychology and sociology.

2. Process that appeals to most player types

Our games have a strong track-record among men, women,
across all generations and multiple professional groups.
OUR GAME-BASED LEARNING SOLUTIONS

GAME DURATION PLAYERS TOPICS STATUS

Leadership
Half a day 8 - 18
Sales
On the market
Customer Experience
Conflict Management
Project Management
Stress Management
Brainiup Full day 8 - 18 On the market
Train The Trainers

Train the Trainers workshop

for trainers that want to Launching in
Two days 8 - 18
deploy Brainiup on their March 2018
own.

Dealing with stress, change

Two days 8-18 On the market
and uncertainty
The Stress
Particle
Launching in
Dealing with stress, change
One day 8-18 September
and uncertainty
2018

Teamwork

Launching in
Any number Innovation
Mission to Mars One day September
larger than 12 Strategic Planning
2018
Decision Making

In
KnowWho 2 hours 4-20 TeamWork
development

Human Resources
Talent Acquisition In
Pops 2 hours 2-4
People Development development
Comp&Ben

The most ambitious project we work on will give leaders a coach Launching
Project X and a trainer in their pocket. 2019

43
CONTACT US FOR A PLAY DATE

BRAINIUP
hello@brainiup.com
www.brainiup.com
+40745384339