The Key Difference Between Serious Games

and Gamification in eLearning

Serious games and gamification are two eLearning strategies (and current buzzwords) that can
easily cause some confusion. They are similar and have similar uses, yet they’re distinctly different
as well.
Serious games are games that have been designed for a primary purpose other than pure
entertainment. Gamification, on the other hand, is the application of typically game-like elements to
other areas of activity such as marketing or training in order to increase engagement and
effectiveness.
They offer similar benefits such as increased user enjoyment and retention of knowledge, and both
help to inspire and motivate learners to participate and achieve a higher potential. But there are key
differences between these strategies that anyone deploying them in their eLearning strategy should
understand.
Gamification takes game mechanics such as leaderboards, points systems, badges and up-leveling in
order to tap an eLearner’s natural human drive for competition and achievement. The game-like
elements help incentivize learners to actively participate, increasing engagement. In order to deploy
gamification properly, you must first understand your audience and what drives them, and pair those
driving forces with the correct game mechanics that will activate them.
Serious games need no gamification as they already follow the typical game structure but are also
designed to involve some form of training value in addition to pure entertainment. Serious games
are ideal for positive reinforcement and just-in-time learning, and should be considered an addition
to an eLearning strategy and not stand-alone training content.
The key difference between the two is that gamification takes game-like mechanics and infuses
them into traditional eLearning programs to increase participation and engagement, while serious
games are full-blown games, with typical game structures, that also offer some form of educational
value and not simply entertainment.
Think of gamification as adding game-like elements to your training course and serious games as
adding educational value to games themselves.
Interesting in developing your eLearning strategy to incorporate elements of serious games and/or
gamification? We can help! Contact us today to learn more about a tailored solution to drive results
for your organization.