Game Based Learning

Playing games as a way of learning has been gaining more and more recognition in the past few years. Last week, Børsen (a Danish financial newspaper) brought a double-paged, middle-section article on how learning games can be used to help explore and implement change processes. The article is based on the statements of Tom Just (CEO of Agilent Technologies) who has been using the Actee games and tools to help the company prepare for a large-scale change process. Tom Just points to the benefits of working with a simulated scenario that is similar to the actual change process that any given company is facing. He also points to the benefits of letting participants get to know the most common archetypes of personalities that are present in a change process:

‘We would like to help our colleagues to get an understanding of just how complex change processes are’. 

The Actee simulations help participants understand what complex relations to be aware of while also providing a fun and engaging platform for learning. Klaus Haltrup, who has been facilitating the Actee games with a range of clients, was also interviewed for the article and he has seen an increase in the tendency for companies to embrace the idea of learning through games:

‘Many companies realize that games are not just fun – but can also be an effective tool for working with culture and organizational changes’.

The idea of learning through games has also entered the scientific scene, where the term gamification is gaining recognition. One of our long-time partners, Sune Gudiksen from (associate professor at the Design School in Kolding) were also interviewed for the article. He explains that learning games is a safe way to become acquainted with common challenges related to change processes and an efficient tool to see the perspective of others:

‘It [the act of playing] can help create an understanding across silos because you play from the perspective of others within the organization and learn from their challenges and frustrations.

At Actee, we are happy to see articles like these because our beliefs are recognized by distinguished companies and people. If you want to read the article – in which Leif Sørensen also explains how Actee can help companies through change processes, you should click the link below.