Play to Learn: Everything You Need to Know about Designing Effective Learning Games

When trainers use games, learners win big.

As a trainer interested in game design, you know that games are more effective than lectures. You've seen firsthand how immersive games hold learners' interest, helping them explore new skills and experience different points of view.

But how do you become the Milton Bradley of learning games? Play to Learn is here to help.

This book bridges the gap between instructional design and game design; it's written to grow your game literacy and strengthen crucial game design skills. Experts Sharon Boller and Karl Kapp share real examples of in-person and online games, and offer an online game for you to try as you read. They walk you through evaluating entertainment and learning games, so you can apply the best to your own designs.

Play to Learn will also show you how to:

Link game design to your business needs and learning objectives.

Test your prototype and refine your design.

Deploy your game to motivated and excited learners.

So don't just play around. Think big, design well, and use Play to Learn as your guide.

Sharon Boller is president and chief product officer of Bottom-Line Performance (BLP), a learning solutions firm she founded in 1995. Sharon has grown BLP from a single-woman sole proprietorship to a more than $3 million company with 30 team members. Under Sharon's direction, BLP created the award-winning Knowledge Guru platform, which enables users to author and distribute game-based learning solutions. This platform earned the coveted Brandon Hall Gold award for best innovation in gaming and technology in 2014. In addition, BLP has earned numerous other awards for custom game-based solutions, including Horizon Awards and LTEN Awards.

Sharon frequently speaks on game-based learning and learning design topics at the local and international level for eLearning Guild, ATD, Chief Learning Officer, Training magazine, and other industry groups. She is the author of numerous articles on game-based learning, learning science, and instructional design, as well as a book featuring team-building simulations and games, Team Training. Her latest book, co-authored with Karl Kapp, is Play to Learn: Everything You Need to Know About Designing Effective Learning Games (ATD Press).

Karl Kapp is a professor of instructional technology at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, where he teaches subjects related to games, gamification, and learning technologies. He is the director of Bloomsburg's Institute for Interactive Technologies, which works with organizations to create interactive instruction, including games, gamification solutions, and simulations. He is also the founder of The Wisdom Learning Group, where he consults internationally with companies, helping them devise strategies around technology-based learning, game-based learning, gamification, instructional design, and learning technology strategy development. He is also co-founder of the educational games company 2K Learning.

Karl is passionate about sharing his knowledge and teaching others. To that end, he has authored or co-authored a half a dozen books, including The Gamification of Learning and Instruction and The Gamification of Learning and Instruction Fieldbook. Karl's latest book, co-authored with Sharon Boller, is Play to Learn: Everything You Need to Know About Designing Effective Learning Games (ATD Press). He is a TEDx and international speaker on the subjects of games, gamification, and learning innovation. You can follow his widely read blog at http://karlkapp.com/kapp-notes/ or follow him on Twitter @kkapp.