Classrooms around the country use game-based learning to improve academic achievement, enhance curriculum, and foster self-guided learning. Numerous recent studies have reinforced the efficacy of game-based learning and the positive impacts it has on the today’s students.
What may not be as apparent are the benefits of game-based learning for adults. Keeping in mind that the average gamer is 37 years-old and has been gaming for nearly 12 years [1], it should come as no surprise that game-based learning can help educate and engage adults as well as children.
Companies are finding success integrating game-based learning into training, on-boarding, and employee development programs. The Milwaukee Fire Department encouraged employees to play Cool Choices, an online card game developed by Filament Games which is designed to promote actions that save money and protect the environment. Through the game, players are awarded points based on the level of impact the action has on energy usage and the environment.
The results for the Milwaukee Fire Department were impressive – the study indicated that engine houses participating in the Cool Choices game used 3.1% less electricity than the same period a year prior, while non-participating engine houses used 3.5% more electricity than the same timeframe the previous year [2].
Overall, players that have participated in the Cool Choices card game have saved more than $730,000 annually and avoided more than 7.5 million pounds of annual CO2 emissions [3].
Game-based learning isn’t just for the classroom. Incorporating game-based learning into corporate culture can lead to benefits for both the employee and the organization. Visit the Cool Choices website to learn more about the game and its impact on the Milwaukee Fire Department and their employees.
1. Brink, J., (2012, May 7) Game-based learning for the corporate world. Retrieved from http://www.trainingmag.com/content/game-based-learning-corporate-world
2. Milwaukee Fire Department (2014, March 20) Impact of Cool Choices Game on Milwaukee Fire Department Electricity Use Memo. Retrieved from http://blog.coolchoices.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Memo-Impact-of-Cool-Choices-Game-on-Milwaukee-Fire-Department-Electricity-Use-3.20.14.pdf
3. Cool Choices Retrieved from https://coolchoices.com/#about-us