When working with HR professionals or stakeholders who aren’t familiar with our approach to design and specifically, our use of Playground games, we get asked many questions. Here are some of them and our response.

OUR FOLKS WON’T PLAY THE GAMES:
True, but only for some of your folks. Many play and many do not. But, that is the point of the 4Door Approach. We want to give participants a chance to learn the material the way that works best for them. For some, playing games is a good method. For others, they prefer other methods like the Café activities, the Library resources, or just going right to the assessment. To each their own. That is our motto.

WE DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO THE GAME SHELLS:
Currently, we like a set of gameshells made by a company called C3 Softworks. Here is a link to their site. http://www.c3softworks.com. In the old days, we made our own games, but have found that made us software developers instead of instructional designers. So, now we outsource the process. The cost is right now days. But, you can use any platform you want. Or, you can use games that don’t require software, such as the Anagram puzzles we use (See the Sample Games).

DO I ALWAYS NEED TO INCLUDE GAMES IN EACH MODULE?
Thiagi says to try. Matt says, no. Trying to do so forces you to ensure you have thought through the material more thoroughly. But, sometimes, the module just doesn’t support having a playground. For example, this one… We put a bunch of sample games in the Library. We certainly could add a playground here, but it might be overkill.

TRACKING PERFORMANCE:
Many clients ask us to track the gameplay and performance of participants. We feel this undermines participant autonomy. Rather, track the Assessment Center performance. That is ultimately the part we care about. Tracking game play just makes people self-conscious when playing and doesn’t allow risk taking. Also, some participants will completely ignore the Library, preferring to use the Playground as the way to learn the material. Tracking anything other than the Assessment Center, removes the choices people have.