My Infinity Games has always been an advocate for gaming’s good influence. My Infinity Games’ goal while designing transformational games is centered on human-centric game design, trying to delve into human psychology to influence behavior and have a real-world impact.

Despite advocacy, there is still widespread agreement that video games are primarily a source of enjoyment. Because it is a specialized business, researching the potential effect of serious gaming initiatives might take some time. This blog can be useful for anybody interested in learning how gaming can benefit individuals and organizations.

Popular media outlets frequently highlight the harmful effects of video gaming, how 1-10% of the youth are adversely affected or addicted to them. Thousands of teams throughout the world are still utilizing games to enhance people’s lives. A study Games with prosocial components enhanced good connections, helpful actions such as sharing and consoling friends, and empathy upgrades among three distinct age groups, students, adolescents, and adults in and out of university. This is also supported by previous research, in which at least75% of gamers agree that video games help improve mental stimulation through connected online play.

Aside from behavioral and societal changes, transformational games are a versatile tool that can be used to tackle a wide range of problems ranging from education to healthcare to social change and everything in between!‍

How can we change the player’s views?

When most people think of gaming, they think of console or PC games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, Pokemon, GTA, and so on. When it comes to contrasting viewpoints on gaming, these big-name titles are frequently the center of attention.

On the other hand, games like Minecraft offer apparent benefits for players and have been adapted to numerous real-world purposes, like creating the immersive learning platform Minecraft: Education. This adapted game is now widely used in over 7,000 classrooms in 40 countries.

One of the reasons gaming works effectively in the education business is the capacity to construct measured and reproducible simulated learning experiences. These advantages also apply to the workplace, health, and social change. According to studies, doing helps you learn and remember knowledge better. What could be better than a safe, simulated learning environment before putting those talents to the test?

Below, we will debunk some popular game myths, define how games are utilized to achieve real-world goals, and explain how they are employed in various organizational contexts. We’ll also look at several resources for research on the effectiveness of games. Finally, we’ll provide a link to a simple guide for establishing a ‘transformational games’ project.

‍

Let’s dispel common myths about gaming and video games

While there are many different perspectives on the harmful impacts of gaming, there are several that appear to be shared by most media outlets. Let’s talk about the realities of games and the people that like them:

Video games are played by people of all ages and demographics

Games and gaming are not addictive

Video games promote social bonding and connection

  • As previously said, many people believe that the average gamer is an adolescent alone in their room surrounded by a mound of empty Coke cans, yet this is simply a cliché.
  • According to the IGEA 2022 research, 75% of children and adults play games in social contexts, whether in person or online. A comparable number from the same research indicated that more than 36% of Australians stated they had met new people and developed new relationships through gaming.
  • One such anecdote comes from our very own My Infinity Games Office, where we have regular gaming nights to foster social connection and collaboration among all employees!

Games are more than just tools for entertainment

  • We know that video games can and have been utilized for much more than pleasure. Aside from educational applications (Minecraft: Education), video games are also utilized for simulated training in a variety of sectors (IBM), physical and mental rehabilitation in healthcare facilities (Mind Maze), and social impact initiatives (CHANGE).

However, there are many more where it came from!

As indicated in the preceding cases, games have the capacity and capability to have a real-world influence. Educational games are a significant market, as more institutions and organizations use gamification to advance their curriculum systems (transformational games).

Gaming, more than any other kind of media, has the ability to catch information and maintain attention. It allows us to experience digital environments in the first person (e.g., «While playing, we overcame the challenge to reach the end of the level»), allowing us to take a more active part in acquiring and developing ideas. According to the IGEA survey, more than 75% of individuals believe that gamifying education helps them gain general and specialized knowledge.

This is also due to the usage of audio and visual storytelling. According to the Learning Pyramid paradigm, some study techniques are more successful than others, and that different study approaches will result in deeper learning and longer-term memory.

‍

My Infinity Games
Source: http://www.humanperformancetools.com/do-games-help-us-learn-and-retain-information-faster-or-longer/ 
  • According to the paradigm, a mix of audio-visual, demonstration, and practice increases retention and learning. This is also why games are such an effective instrument for communication.
  • As a result, gaming has the potential to improve auditory, visual, and kinesthetic communication.

Similarly, companies may tremendously benefit from the immersive aspect of gaming.According to a Brigham Young University research, teams that played video games together for 45 minutes outperformed those who participated in generic team-building exercises by 20%.

This has also been seen in the workplace today.When training is gamified, around 60% of employees feel more motivated and resourceful.Because of the increased effectiveness, many businesses are gamifying their productivity and training. Freshworks, for example, launched FreshDesk Arcade to improve customer support capabilities through quests, points, and badges. The app-based fun competition increased efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement significantly throughout the team. This resulted in positive feedback from over 2,500 of their clients and a 1000% boost in income at the end of the year!

 

But what about peer-reviewed studies?

For people who desire to browse through scientific peer-reviewed articles, they are a fantastic resource. These study articles give significant insight as well as appropriate sample groups from which to base information. However, sifting through the multitude of available articles to locate worthwhile ones might be difficult!

Here are some pointers to assist you navigate the research jungle (transformational games):

  1. Begin with a basic outline or list of the type of study you’re looking for; this might be qualitative studies (which will show you the pros and negatives of a subject generally) or quantitative studies (which will show you the heroes of statistics and percentages).
  2. Once you’ve determined what you’re searching for, make a list of words associated with the research, such as impacts of games in education, video games for the environment, game-based learning in agriculture, and so on.
  3. If you want to start with peer-reviewed articles, these are a great place to start for academic journals that are updated quarterly.
  4. Some good locations to start looking for these keywords and phrases are —
  • Google Scholar: While an excellent all-round resource, it cannot tell you whether an article or journal will be free to download or view
  • Library Genesis: Similar to Google Scholar, most resources have free access.
  • JSTOR: A perfect place to go when looking for source material and primary resources

For example, in a randomized experiment published in the European Journal of Anaesthesiology, researchers discovered that children in preoperative care who were given video games to play as a diversion experienced considerably less anxiety than children who were given DVDs to watch, which is generally the practice.

Similarly, various studies have been undertaken to investigate the impact of Active Video Games (AVGs) in obese children. They discovered that AVGs were otherwise acceptable for general activity and mobility in energetic youngsters. For children with obesity, on the other hand, they provided as an excellent starting point for raising total energy expenditure and the possibility for controlling and lowering BMI and Body Weight.

The WHO classified gaming addiction as a mental condition in 2019, however following the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, they endorsed the use of gaming to remain socially active while isolated in 2020. The name «Play Apart Together» was coined as a result of this. This also demonstrates how gaming may benefit adults and teenagers. The Simulation and Gaming Association published an essay that highlights the many forms and functions of how effectively gaming may be utilized as a social link and actual research instrument that contributes to practical outcomes.

‍

There’s plenty of information out there for you to consume after reading this!

While the procedure may be difficult, the impact of games is unparalleled. By communicating directly to the user in an interactive fashion and tailoring the information for their tastes or skill level, video games may provide an intimate encounter. Furthermore, they may rapidly grow to reach billions of users via immediate digital distribution channels like the App Store, Steam, or a web browser.

Transformational games may be tackled in two ways: by inventing and producing a new game for a specific purpose, or by modifying an existing game to match your goals. It is critical to set your game’s objectives and key performance indicators early in the process so that you can choose the best way to achieve your goals.

Educational games, for example, may have a goal such as «teach students how gravity works.» This is a poor goal since there is so much flexibility for interpretation by various team members. A more appropriate objective would be to «teach year ten students the fundamentals of Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation and improve their scores on relevant physics exams by an average of 10%.»

Games have a terrible reputation at times, but many groups are working hard to establish their worth and improve public perception. We are one such company, attempting to establish a name for ourselves by teaching everyone about the true benefits of games. We debunked several common misunderstandings about the medium of games, investigated where games are being utilized to achieve real-world goals, and evaluated some studies that supported the usefulness of games in diverse situations.

A transformational games require a significant amount of work. We hope this blog and its tools help you understand how games can be used to tackle real-world problems and encourage you to start your own transformational games project!

Back to blog