Marc Prensky, CEO of games2train and author of Digital Game-Based Learning, contends that the use of digital games will grow, attributing this notion to a generational gap between existing employees and employees now or soon-to-be entering the workforce. While some refer to these new workers as the Net Generation or the Digital Generation, Prensky identifies them as the Games Generation. Because these individuals have grown up with MTV, computers, video games, and the Internet as forms of interactive entertainment, he describes their learning style as “craving interactivity.”

The argument works as follows: As members of the Games Generation enter the workforce, trainers must realize that existing lecture-based training is no longer the only effective method. Enter computer-based training games, which not only offer interactive learning, but also provide a familiar method of information delivery via a computer or the Internet.

Why people play

In training, games are commonly used to supplement traditional lecture-based or online delivery of information. Marc Prensky,  explains, “In most cases, digital game-based learning is not designed to do an entire training or teaching job alone.” The role of games is primarily to reinforce the understanding of presented material and to add variety in training. According to Prensky, in addition to being able to support a variety of learning styles, games reinforce learning through their ability to offer immediate feedback to learners and a mechanism for instructional coaching and mentoring.

Similarly, a 1996 study reporting on the use of games among various organizations in England, found that games are generally used to break up a training session, to initiate a learning event, or to conclude a learning event. According to report authors Gilgeous and D’Cruz, organizations use games in training to

• help instructors maintain participant interest
• relay concepts
• make the training more enjoyable and fun.  

It’s important to note that even though this study was a general assessment of the use of games in business training (and not specific to computer based or online training), it suggests reasons as to why games are readily used in the development and implementation of business training programs. 

Many online games use a format based on familiar and popular games, such as Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Trivia Pursuit, and Concentration. These items can be developed in-house, outsourced to a variety of training software providers, or located online.

The Gilgeous and D’Cruz study also reported a higher frequency of in-house developed games as opposed to off-the-shelf products.  An obvious advantage to this development method is the ability to customize information to a particular organization. However, the design, development, and implementation of self-developed games for business training can require large amounts of time and incur considerable costs.

Therefore, many companies still find value in outsourcing games for their training programs, even though those games may lack personal customization. Examples off-the-shelf game providers include Ninth House, Havas, SimuLearn, and Think3. As the market for computer-based business training games grows, demand should open this industry to new competition.

To find if the earlier study findings held true, we surveyed 514 trainers across the United States on their use of online training games in late 2003. While more than half of the respondents said that their organizations offer some training modules completely online (52.3 percent) or enhance training with online supplemental materials (52.3 percent), only 12.6 percent reported using online training games. The most frequently used online training games included in-house developed games (4.9 percent), with a breakdown of

·       Jeopardy-based games (2.3%)

·       Game Show Pro games (1.6%)

·       Who Wants To Be a Millionaire-based games 4 (.8%). 

Reasons for using online games included the following:

• Games reinforce information (5.4%).
• Games offer a variety of instructional strategies (3.7%).
• Games increase interaction (2.7%).
• Games motivate learners (2.1%).
• Games allow creative instruction (1.9%).

Indeed, experts and practitioners agree that one of the primary reasons games are used in business training is that they encourage active participation among learners.

Games training plays

Here’s an overview of easy-to-use and popular games for would-be online gamers. The resources include links to online game templates, online game creation and hosting services, and game creation software—and most are free. Several resources can even host games, providing a valuable resource to trainers who lack access to an intranet. (For a reader-friendly table of resources, download the .) 

PowerPoint Templates. For many trainers, a good starting point for venturing into online games is the creation and use of PowerPoint-based games. Furthermore, PowerPoint files can be uploaded to a server and played using an Internet Explorer browser (recent versions come with the PowerPoint Player plug-in included). Once uploaded to a server, a trainer can access the games and use them during live training sessions. Trainers skilled in creating PowerPoint presentations may want to create their games from scratch.

A developed by Terri Street offers an excellent slideshow on Game Creation with PowerPoint. For those less skilled in the use of PowerPoint or those who simply don’t have the time to create games from scratch, game templates is a great starting point. Some templates you can use are

• Jeopardy for the Classroom,
• Who Wants to be a Millionaire,
• Hollywood Squares, 
• Multi-Q,. If you are having trouble with the links in the blank game file, try . 

Game creation and hosting Websites. Developers can create these games using online templates and save them for later access.  

• Create Your Own Adventure,
  Hosted by the Public Broadcast System (PBS), the site provides a free madlib-creation service. Your madlibs can make great icebreakers and are easily accessible by learners. 
  
• ELibs,
  This site offers a similar free madlib creation and hosting service. 
  
• Interactive Games, This tool enables trainers to create and host six different types of games online (for free!).
  
• Quizstar,
  This Web-based quiz creation, hosting, management, and reporting service.  Give your tests fun sounding names, such as Customer Service Challenge, Leadership Relay, ADA Trivia, and use them as competitive games. 
  
• Quia,
  This ool uses battleship, hangman, scavenger hunt, and many other familiar game formats. Quia requires a small membership fee. 
  
• Game-O-Matic,
  This Website by the Center for Language Education and Research at Michigan State University, offers free access to eight online programs that generate interactive Web-based games based on user input. Game formats include concentration, timed matching, cloze, storyboard. Once created, the games must be saved to the trainer’s computer and then uploaded to a company’s intranet.

Game creation software. Developers can also purchase game creation software. The most popular off-the-shelf game authoring tool is Gameshow Pro (), which is available through LearningWare. This application creates Web-based games using such formats as , Categories, Classroom Feud, and Tic-Tac-Toe. 

Some free downloads that create interactive games and puzzles for the Web include

• EclipseCrossword;
• Hot Potatoes, web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked, which offers multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering, and gap-fill exercises.

 Final score

As the cost and availability of technology decreases, e-learning becomes a more permanent fixture in the everyday practices of business. Workplace learning professionals need to adapt their training programs to incorporate available technology, ensuring that their training programs remain effective. Although still in its’ infancy, developers are starting to use online training games more frequently—largely because technology is more readily available and there’s a strong need to appeal to learning styles of the younger generations. A variety of free resources on the Web are available to those who wish to take baby steps towards creating their own online games.