The Gamification Quest

Gamification doesn't need to be complicated, sometimes all you need is a simple score to change behavior. Score science is a practice that helps you get it right. Toby Beresford created rise.global in his garage in 2012 as a tool to keep and share digital scores. It's now being used by senior influencers across the world to track their own social media success and to encourage others to do the same. In 2017, 400,000 people engaged with rise.global  - each spending an average of 25 minutes on the site. Connect with Toby Beresford:  Website www.rise.global Twitter: @tobyberesford LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tobyberesford About the Host:  Monica Cornetti Featured on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek, Monica works with individuals and organizations who want to learn how to think differently to achieve uncommon results. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was also recognized as a Top 3 Finalist in the “Gamification Guru of the Year Award” by the World Gamification Congress held in Barcelona, Spain. Monica is the Founder and CEO of Sententia Gamification, Founder of GamiCon, the International Gamification Conference for Learning and Development, and the author of the book Totally Awesome Training Activity Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You. Monica is hired for her skill as a gamification speaker and is considered at the top of her field in gamification design for corporate learning. She is a graduate of Seton Hill with a BA in psychology, and The University of Houston-Victoria where she earned a Masters Degree in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, voted by Forbes Small Business as one of the top 5 programs for entrepreneurial education in the country. Connect with Monica:  www.MonicaCornetti.com     www.SententiaGames.com     On Twitter: @monicacornetti 

Gamification is still just a buzzword for some, while for others they’ve already implemented it with powerful effects on their business process. We’ve seen some gamification projects which have a very pretty design but have failed to engage users and others with a very ugly interface but are addictively engaging their users! What is the secret? About Altug Yilmaz - is a Mathematical Engineer and worked for several training companies in Turkey for more than 10 years. He is the author of first Turkish gamification book: Herkes icin Oyunlastirma and he is Gamification Federation's (GamFed) Turkey ambassador. Altug blogs in Turkish about gamification at his blog: www.oyunlastirma.co. He is only Turkish person invited to speak at the Gamification World Congress (GWC16) in Madrid,Spain and recently spoke at the Gamification Europe Conference '17 in Brighton, UK. Connect with Altug: Website - www.oyunlastirma.co Twitter: @ercanaltug LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ercanaltug/   About the Host:  Monica Cornetti Featured on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek, Monica works with individuals and organizations who want to learn how to think differently to achieve uncommon results. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was also recognized as a Top 3 Finalist in the “Gamification Guru of the Year Award” by the World Gamification Congress held in Barcelona, Spain. Monica is the Founder and CEO of Sententia Gamification, Founder of the International Gamification Conference and Expo, and the author of the book Totally Awesome Training Activity Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You. Monica is hired for her skill as a gamification speaker and is considered at the top of her field in gamification design for corporate learning. She is a graduate of Seton Hill with a BA in psychology, and The University of Houston-Victoria where she earned a Masters Degree in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, voted by Forbes Small Business as one of the top 5 programs for entrepreneurial education in the country. Connect with Monica:  www.MonicaCornetti.com     www.SententiaGames.com     On Twitter: @monicacornetti 

Gamification as a tool for designing engaging experiences should not be restricted by technology. There is a need for physical and digital experiences to be merged AND playful and gameful inspirations should be at the heart of such a design process. Today we’ll explore Sylvester’s  Insights into existing work in exploring a more hybrid and playful learning experience, such as the EU Funded Beaconing project (http://beaconing.eu) His Views on hybrid learning in comparisons to blended learning And his findings from the GameChangers project (http://gamify.org.uk)  About Sylvester Arnab: A Full Professor in Game Science at Coventry University, UK, leading applied research and innovation at the Disruptive Media Learning Lab (DMLL).   With over 10 years research experience in simulation, serious games and gamification combined, his research interests include gameful, playful and persuasive designs that transform ordinary tasks into extraordinary experiences. He has a large portfolio of funded projects (https://sylvesterarnab.com/featured-projects/)  and publications (https://sylvesterarnab.com/publications/)  in the domain. He co-founded the GameChangers – a Game Design Thinking initiative (http://gamify.org.uk), which is also being adopted and adapted in other countries, such as Malaysia (http://myCapsule.my). Connect with Sylvester: Website- http://SylvesterArnab.com   Twitter: @sarnab75 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvester-arnab-a4049818/   About the Host:  Monica Cornetti Featured on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek, Monica works with individuals and organizations who want to learn how to think differently to achieve uncommon results. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was also recognized as a Top 3 Finalist in the “Gamification Guru of the Year Award” by the World Gamification Congress held in Barcelona, Spain. Monica is the Founder and CEO of Sententia Gamification, Founder of the International Gamification Conference and Expo, and the author of the book Totally Awesome Training Activity Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You. Monica is hired for her skill as a gamification speaker and is considered at the top of her field in gamification design for corporate learning. She is a graduate of Seton Hill with a BA in psychology, and The University of Houston-Victoria where she earned a Masters Degree in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, voted by Forbes Small Business as one of the top 5 programs for entrepreneurial education in the country. Connect with Monica:  www.MonicaCornetti.com    www.SententiaGames.com    On Twitter: @monicacornetti       

In this episode, we meet Pradeep U.N., a masterful weaver of narratives and gameplay, turning organizations into vibrant ecosystems where storytelling, gamification, and social learning converge to unlock a symphony of inclusion, innovation, and purpose. About Your Host: Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behaviors and achieve objectives. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was repeatedly rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE from 2015-2020, and in 2021 and 2022 was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. Monica is the President of Sententia, Inc. and leads the company’s education and design projects at Sententia Gamification. She is also the Gamemaster of GamiCon (annual international conferences for the gamification of learning). She is the author of the books Lipstick Lessons, What Were You Thinking?, Totally Awesome Training Activities Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You, and co-author of Deliberate Fun: A Purposeful Application of Game Mechanics to Learning Experiences.

My guest is Artrell Williams and our topic is Taiyazukuri – A Tire Manufacturing Card Game that teaches tire manufacturing processes and terminology, fostering understanding through descriptions. It imparts Sumitomo Rubber USA’s Mission, Vision, Values, and KPI impact on business. The deck serves multiple purposes, reinforcing key concepts for SRUSA staff to grasp the value stream, communicate discrepancies, and cut manufacturing waste costs. At the GamiCon event in NOLA in September, Artrell's project was awarded the People’s Choice Award for “Low-Tech Design" – that’s quite the accomplishment to win the hearts of your peers. Artrell Williams is a Presenter, Facilitator and Trainer with a passion for helping others grow and develop. Seeking additional opportunities for civic involvement. His areas of expertise include: Soft Skills Training, Sales and Sales Training, Customer Service Training, Coaching, Mentoring, and Humor. About Your Host:  Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behaviors and achieve objectives. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was repeatedly rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE from 2015-2020, and in 2021 and 2022 was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. Monica is the President of Sententia, Inc. and leads the company’s education and design projects at Sententia Gamification. She is also the Gamemaster of GamiCon (annual international conferences for the gamification of learning).  She is  the author of the books Lipstick Lessons, What Were You Thinking?, Totally Awesome Training Activities Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You, and co-author of Deliberate Fun: A Purposeful Application of Game Mechanics to Learning Experiences.

My guests are Jamie Phillips, Celia Sellers, and Rebecca Arnett, and our topic is Creating a Cyber Security Escape Room.  In this innovative Cyber Security Escape Room event, participants raced against time to thwart a hacker using social engineering, phishing, malware, and more. Designed for the curious, puzzle-loving, adventurous, and competitive, this team-based challenge involved solving 15 cybersecurity puzzles. It encouraged team building and social interaction, with participants either forming groups or being assigned to teams. Key game mechanics included achievement rewards like stickers and photos, advance priming through storytelling videos, communal discoveries, puzzle guessing, unlocking sequences, and strategic use of hints. The fastest team earned recognition and a certificate. The goal was to reinforce training on critical human risks in cybersecurity. Host: Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behaviors and achieve objectives. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was repeatedly rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE from 2015-2020, and in 2021 and 2022 was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. Monica is the President of Sententia, Inc. and leads the company’s education and design projects at Sententia Gamification. She is also the Gamemaster of GamiCon (annual international conferences for the gamification of learning). She is the author of the books Lipstick Lessons, What Were You Thinking?, Totally Awesome Training Activities Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You, and co-author of Deliberate Fun: A Purposeful Application of Game Mechanics to Learning Experiences.

My guests are Jordan Dyson and Scott Provence and topic is their internationally award-winning project called Walk With Me. A wealth management firm was looking for ways to improve their organizational culture and address risks of declining client-service quality. Jordan and Scott created a two-step, game-based solution for this client: first, employees played a turn-based conversation game with an AI-powered chatbot that and then attended a live 50-minute debrief session where they learned about key empathetic behaviors, discussed their experiences. The program results showed double-digit improvement in evidence-based empathizing skills and participant mindset. Not only were employees exhibiting more empathetic behaviors in conversation, but their beliefs around their potential to enhance these abilities also saw measurable improvement over the course of the program. About Your Host: Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behaviors and achieve objectives. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was repeatedly rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE from 2015-2020, and in 2021 and 2022 was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. Monica is the President of Sententia, Inc. and leads the company’s education and design projects at Sententia Gamification. She is also the Gamemaster of GamiCon (annual international conferences for the gamification of learning). She is the author of the books Lipstick Lessons, What Were You Thinking?, Totally Awesome Training Activities Guide: Put Gamification to Work for You, and co-author of Deliberate Fun: A Purposeful Application of Game Mechanics to Learning Experiences.

Doc Yavelberg, author of The Sententia Shift: How Gamification Rewrites How We Solve Problems, featured in the GameChangers Anthology. Doc is an artist, educator, designer, and strategist whose work bridges art, learning, and systems thinking. As the founder of Flying Cloud Solutions, he helps organizations transform complexity into clarity using gamification, human-centered design, and his Be AI-gile framework—an approach that blends AI with adaptive design practices to prepare organizations for the future of work.

My guest today is Bernardo Letayf, we’re exploring not one but two chapters he contributed to the GameChangers Anthology. His first, Problems, Users, and Actions: Creating the Learner Journey, offers a clear, actionable model for designing meaningful engagement. His second, Love, Happiness, and Engagement: A Reflection, goes deeper—challenging us to think differently about what truly drives learning and connection. Bernardo is the founder of BLUERABBIT, creator of the BLUERABBIT gamification platform, and a pioneer in designing experiences that make learning measurable, meaningful, and fun. He’s worked with educators and organizations around the world to help them build game-based learning ecosystems that sustain motivation and growth.

Enframing and the Human Moment in Learning Design. Frank Parker is a retired Director of Instructional Technology at Johnson C. Smith University and one of our most active, engaged, generous, and gracious members of our Sententia gamification community of practice

My guest today is Susan Peahl, and joining us as well is Phil Ferrone. Our topic is: Clarity Before Clicks: Before You Buy That Tech. Susan holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Design and has decades of experience transforming workplace learning. She has trained more than 10,000 leaders across industries, blending academic expertise with real-world insight. She’s also an award-winning improviser and actor, which gives her a rare ability to connect with audiences and make learning memorable. Phil brings his own leadership experience to the conversation, offering a client and organizational perspective on what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to investing in training and technology.

Unofficial History of Gamification: From Playful Roots to Purposeful Practice in Learning. Karl has a worldwide reputation as one of the pioneers in the gamification of learning and instruction—literally writing the book on the subject. He’s an international keynote speaker, a TEDx presenter, and author of over a dozen LinkedIn Learning courses. Karl works with organizations across the globe to create meaningful, interactive learning experiences, from board games to simulations to enterprise programs.

The Framework Factor: Building Scalable Gamification That Works. Keith is Associate Director of Global Learning & Development at Merck, founder of Lillico Learning Solutions, and a Certified Gamification Master Craftsman. His work blends game design elements, accessibility, and business alignment to create learning content that meets learner needs while achieving enterprise goals. He’s been recognized as an ATD “One to Watch,” Training Magazine Emerging Leader, and 2023 ATD Outstanding Learning Professional of the Year.

GameFrame™: Rethinking Leadership with Coaching and Play. Rihan is an ICF Master Certified Coach, a Gamification Master Craftsman, and a Leadership Development Specialist with over two decades of experience. She’s also a LEGO® Serious Play® Facilitator and EQ Practitioner, known for connecting coaching frameworks with professional and organizational practice. Rihan’s work has been presented at international conferences, and she’s committed to creating inclusive, reflective spaces that empower professionals and leaders to thrive.

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It: From Prototype to Award-Winning Training Game. Artrell is a Certified Gamification Master Craftsman through Sententia Gamification and creator of Taiyazukuri, an award-winning playing card game designed to teach manufacturing processes. This game received accolades at TechLearn 2023 and was recognized internationally by a global manufacturer in Japan. Since 2008, Artrell has worked across telecommunications, manufacturing, and workforce development, helping organizations build leadership capacity, improve retention, and close performance gaps. He’s also the founder of Mukevä Learning Partners, an L&D consulting practice focused on immersive, results-driven solutions. Artrell, your chapter was a fantastic mix of humor, grit, and courage. Thank you for joining me and our listening audience.

Fail Smart: Lose to Learn the Gamified Way. Javier is a game and gamification designer with extensive experience creating innovative solutions that use play and gameful design to enhance learning, motivation, and engagement. His work has been recognized internationally with four GamiCon awards, including two for Best Overall Use of Gamification. As the creator of the BEM Gamification Framework, Javier also teaches in master’s programs and executive education courses, sharing his expertise in how meaningful game design can transform education and organizational learning.

Editors Monica Cornetti and Jonathan Peters discuss the anthology Gamechangers. Hear their vision for the book and why they chose these authors.

In the case of the project that is the topic of today’s podcast, Jim Piechocki woke up a dreadfully dull IT classification process training with a post-apocalyptic superhero story he had pitched years ago to Marvel about The Technicals, an alien race that takes over and outsources Earth. The gameplay:  You must learn how to create a keyword class to rescue Amazon and save the planet. About our Guest: Jim is a member of a small but growing breed of ATD-licensed developers who start with the acting talent, the humor, the broadcast-quality imagery, and entertainment value. He worked as a gag-writer for comic Tim Allen in Detroit, who taught him how to pare down physical comedy and dialog for maximum impact. His writing teachers Harlan Ellison and Walter Hill (The Terminator, 48 Hours) drilled into him the importance of getting it right in the first draft. Working on staff for Filmation on the He-Man and The Masters of the Universe cartoon TV series, he learned the writer actually directs the animation. And he has found that everything from Greek, Roman, Viking and Indian mythology, can provide ongoing inspiration for gamified learning.

As part of a bigger effort to offer an asynchronous, summer faculty development program, the Center for Instructional Innovation at Augusta University developed a 2-part, 6-week program on Multimedia and Motivation in Student Learning. The first half of the program was a 3-week course on the Science of Motivation and Game-Based Learning. The course was NASCAR or stock car race themed with 68 faculty members being divided into “pit crews” of 5 members. Each week (lap) presented the Pit Crews with content and “driving missions” that supported broader learning objectives. About our Guest: Jeff Mastromonico has been teaching, developing multimedia, and working in instructional design in the higher ed space for over 20 years. He currently is the Director of the Center for Instructional Innovation at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. He has a Masters of Education in Educational Technology from the University of South Carolina and a second-level certification in Gamification from Sententia. Lynsey Steinberg is one of the 300 board-certified medical illustrators. Lynsey graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Masters of Science degree from the Medical College of Georgia and earned her board certification in 2016. Lynsey has been able to experience hands-on surgery in the operating room, develop virtual reality, 3D printing, animation, gamification, and graphic design while working directly with students, faculty, and staff. As a team member, she believes in creating engaging work with a passion for creative problem solving through collaboration, inspiration, and innovation.

Paycor wanted an exciting experience to enhance their new hire program. Tracey created a wildly popular escape room game to review their day’s content and promote teamwork.  Her first version was an in-person pop-up escape room but when COVID hit, she had to pivot to rethink and redesign it to be a virtual escape room but preserve the most fun parts. About our Guest: Tracey Stokely is the principal instructional designer at Paycor in Cincinnati, Ohio. Paycor is an HR technology company that provides business leaders with the HCM software tools, expert advice, and responsive service so they can make a difference in their organizations. She specializes in eLearning design and development. Tracey’s learning and development experience includes the software, contact center, and electronics industries. Tracey is a member of the Learning Guild, won Best Mobile Solution at DemoFest at the 2019 DevLearn Conference, and has been a speaker at several conferences.