Why L&D should borrow money from Game Night
Corporate training has a participant problem. Even in the most carefully designed workshops, it’s difficult to keep employees engaged long enough to absorb, let alone apply, the content. But at the same time, people will happily spend hours on end with the game’s strategy, puzzles, and story-driven challenges. That’s the gap that applied games are created to fill. Unlike gamification, which adds points, badges, and superficial competition to existing content, applied games leverage a complete game experience to teach skills, explore scenarios, and foster behavior change.
A powerful twist in corporate learning is that you don’t have to build a custom game from scratch. Many existing games, including board games, simulations, and even commercially available digital titles, can be adapted to achieve specific learning outcomes at a fraction of the cost.
What is an applied game?
Applied games are games that are used intentionally for instruction, development, and skill practice. It’s not entertainment for its own sake. These work because gameplay requires decision-making and problem-solving rather than passive listening. Players can get instant feedback through game results. Teams naturally collaborate, communicate, and negotiate. And games create a safe space for failure, experimentation, and iterative learning. This allows learners to take an active role and keep learning long enough to practice, fail safely, and improve.
Why use existing games in corporate training?
Custom-designed authentic games are great, but they’re expensive. Most effects can often be achieved by adapting existing games to the situation.
cost effective
Board games range in price from $20 to $50. Role-playing simulations are free. Digital games often offer group or bulk licenses. Compared to six-figure development budgets, using an existing game is a practical start to experiential learning.
High engagement and motivation
Games activate intrinsic motivation, curiosity, mastery, challenge, and competition without forcing enthusiasm. For example, Tesco created a compliance board game for onboarding, which increased retention and engagement and reduced complaints. The content remained unchanged. Delivery has been completed.
practice without gambling
Missing a pitch in a role-playing game costs nothing. Bad decisions in simulation become opportunities for repetition rather than coaching problems. Games allow you to practice in the “real world” without affecting the real world.
Embedded soft skills development
Most workplaces require better communication, collaboration, negotiation, critical thinking, and creativity. Games create opportunities that require learners to use these skills naturally.
How to adapt existing games to L&D
Just because you put a game on the table doesn’t magically produce learning outcomes. Here’s a structured way to carefully tune your game.
1. Fix learning results
Start by deciding what participants should know, do, and feel afterwards. This will determine which game mechanics and themes work best for you.
2. Choose the game that suits you
Choose a game with mechanics that reflect your target’s skills. Trade and resource games support negotiation. Cooperative games often require communication. Puzzle and strategy games enhance planning and systems thinking. Change or reskin the game if the theme or rules don’t exactly match. You can exchange cards, adjust rules, and add organization-related content.
3. Facilitate the experience
Give them enough instructions to play, then step back. Observe their actions, choices, and communication. Instead of teaching directly, use games to highlight strengths and challenges.
4. Debriefing: That’s the real job.
Debriefing is where learning takes shape. Ask participants how they made decisions, where communication broke down, what strategies worked, and how their experiences relate to real-world challenges. Without debriefing, much of the learning is lost.
5. Reinforce and reuse
Transform insights into ongoing practice. Managers can reference coaching lessons, add follow-up scenarios, and periodically return to the game to measure progress.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Games can hinder learning if you skip the basics.
Games exceed learning objectives
Restate your before, during, and after goals. Teachers dismiss play as childish
We ran a pilot with our esteemed staff and the results speak for themselves. Learner does not agree
Explain the relevance upfront. debriefing is skipped
If the session is one hour, half should be devoted to reflection.
conclusion
Applied games democratize experiential learning. They unlock engagement, strengthen retention, enable safe practice, and leverage social dynamics overlooked in traditional training. Corporate learning fails when it is based on slide decks rather than real-world experience. Games get learning back on track. Decision making, collaboration, and rapid feedback in a controlled environment. If you want employees to think better together, give them a structured environment where they can practice thinking better together. A properly chosen game can make that happen tomorrow.
