This document provides an introduction to gamifying training and development programs using the Game the System model. It discusses defining learning objectives, creating an epic storyline, designing varied learning activities, adding game mechanics like points and levels, and incorporating aesthetics to make the training fun. The model is presented as a 5 step process: 1) objectives, 2) story, 3) activity design, 4) game mechanics, and 5) aesthetics. The goal is to increase engagement and learning through concepts from game design and behavioral psychology.

1. AN INTRO TO
Game the System™
A Proven Method to Level Up Your Training
and Development Through Gamification
Monica Cornetti
- Gamification Keynote Speaker and Strategy Designer -
A Publication of
© 2015
www.SententiaGames.com

2. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Introduction: Game the System™ 3
Making Business Processes Compelling by Making them Fun!
Chapter 1: Objectives… 8
The Fundamentals of Fun!
Chapter 2: It’s Story Time 12
Create an Epic Adventure
Chapter 3: Design Variety 15
Your Learning Activities
Chapter 4: Weave the Game 20
Design and Mechanics
Chapter 5: Tally up the Aesthetics 23
So They Wanna Play!
Conclusion: The End Game 28
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3. Introduction
Game the System™
Making Business Processes Compelling
by Making them Fun!

4. Game the System™
Making Business Processes Compelling by
Making them Fun!
Gamification 101: How the Game is Played
The Game the System™ Model guides you and your team
through the process of gamified learning design. By following the
5-step plan, you are essentially assured a successful outcome.
Gamification invites people to participate and engage by
integrating game mechanics and game dynamics into such things
as a website, online community, marketing campaign, and as
demonstrated in this book – even a traditional training and
development program.
By adding game mechanics to training, Gamification not only
increases interest, it makes training “fun.”
The goal is to increase learning and engagement through key
concepts found in game design and behavioral psychology.
Gamification does NOT equal technology … it is really a way of
thinking about the development and delivery of your training
programs.
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5. “Gamification is using game-based
mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking to
engage people, motivate action, promote
learning, and solve problems.”
- Gabe Zichermann
5

6. Gamification can play a key role in how your organization trains
employees when you learn how to think like a game designer.
The Game the System™
Model guides you and your
team through the process of
gamified learning design.
By following the 5-step plan,
you are essentially assured a
successful outcome. In this
eBook we introduce you to
each of the steps so that
you can immediately begin to roll out the
Game the System™ Model to level up training and development in
your organization.
How the Game is Played
Game the System™ a Proven Method for Curriculum Design.
Level 1: Define Learning Objectives… The Fundamentals of Fun!
Level 2: It’s Story Time – Create an Epic Adventure
Level 3: Design Variety into Your Learning Activities
Level 4: Add the Game Design and Mechanics
Level 5: Tally up the Aesthetics so They Wanna Play!
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7. Face it… Figuring out a way to reward your kids for doing their chores or
rewarding yourself when you exercise, make the sale, or complete a
boring task is a game. The truth is, it’s all a game, and we’re all gamers.
“
The reality is…
• People enjoy playing games
• Popular games inspire extreme loyalty
• People are motivated by gaming
reward and achievement systems
• Therefore, if non-games are made
more game-like, we’ll be more likely to
‘play’ them
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8. CHAPTER
1
Objectives… The
Fundamentals of Fun!

9. Learning Objectives
Gamification should never be seen as an end in itself or positioned
to be able to deliver value all by itself. It should be secondary to
clearly defined learning objectives.
To be effective, the gamified program must align with the desired
instructional and business outcomes. There are many different
game types (action-adventure, role play, strategy, etc.) and it is
important that the game-type aligns with the learning goal.
A single, clearly defined overall goal is important. To design a
game you begin with the end in mind – you need to know the goal
of the game. What do you want to have accomplished by the end
of the game? What does victory look like? What’s the take away?
The gamified program should be based around real business
issues, dilemmas, or trade-offs, and not right or wrong answers.
The right issues will inspire rich conversations and give players
the opportunity to learn from each other.
The most useful gamified programs focus on specific company
“pain-points” rather than just generic business challenges.
The Fundamentals of Fun
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10. f
“What exactly do you
want your audience
to know, do, and feel
as a result of the
training?
”
- Monica Cornetti
Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification
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11. LIVE Gamification 1.0 :
Let them take the
platform to
demonstrate what
their team has learned
or accomplished.
Although in the
beginning they may
seem hesitant to
present in front of the
crowd – in the end,
they are all eager to
join in.
“How do you think they will be
able to use the information and
skills that they develop?”
- Monica Cornetti
Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification
11

12. CHAPTER
2
It’s Story Time – Create an
Epic Adventure

13. It’s Story Time
Good games are framed around a compelling story. What do you
remember from a training or workshop experience that you have
participated in? Facts, figures, and statistics? Not likely. It’s the
stories. We learn best from the analogies and remember the
stories. The Game the System™ model of Gamification allows you
to design your training around a story.
And the good news is that you don’t have to start with a blank
page to create your storyline.
Many familiar and popular characters are in the public domain.
Works in the public domain are those whose intellectual property
rights have expired or been forfeited, and these works are
available for public use. Some well known examples include Snow
White, Robin Hood, Hercules, Sherlock Holmes, The Three
Musketeers and Ayesha (She Who
Must Be Obeyed). Conduct an
Internet search for ‘public domain
characters’, and you will find
extensive lists of characters that
you can use to build your storyline.
Create an Epic Adventure
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14. You can use any number of techniques to craft a compelling
storyline. If you are unfamiliar with the craft, spend some time
researching The Story Coaster, Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, or
even purchase a couple sets of Rory’s Story Cubes.
Basically your storyline will follow a path where your hero ventures
forth from the common-day world into a region of magical wonder.
Here they encounter and battle a supernatural force. After a
decisive victory is won, the hero then comes back from this
adventure with the power to bestow good fortune to their
community.
f
The basic path of the monomyth, or "Hero's Journey".
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15. CHAPTER
3
Design Variety into Your
Learning Activities

16. Learning Activities
The key to delivering effective Gamified training is in the design of
the activities you use throughout the session.
The right ingredients mixed into your learning activities should
allow the participants to acquire knowledge and skill, rather than
merely receive them.
In training, as in cooking, art, or music, a desired end can be
accomplished by a variety of means and methods. Of course,
there is also the risk of things turning out badly. It is only through
experimentation, practice, and revisions that you can polish your
delivery methods.
Beware… no matter how well you design a particular activity or
teaching point, its impact and value for the participants may
diminish greatly if it is misplaced in the overall sequence of events.
For example, participants may be tired just when you need them
to be alert. Or the group may not be able to grasp abstract ideas
before experiencing concrete examples.
So begin by gathering the ingredients you need to Game the
System™ and create award-winning awesome activities.
Design for Interaction and Reflection
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17. LIVE Gamification 1.0 : Movement and learning go hand in hand. Don’t
be afraid to get ‘em on their feet to reinforce where you, the storyline,
and the learning objectives need them to go.
“. . . movement is crucial to every other brain
function, including memory, emotion, language,
and learning. Our “higher” brain functions have
evolved from movement and still depend on it.”
- John J. Ratey, MD Harvard Medical School from User’s Guide to the Brain
17

18. What will you say or do to get participants involved? Help
participants understand the big picture as well as specific
learning points. Focus on the training goals and objectives and
remind them what you want them to retain and apply.
Exercises should be relevant, challenging, and fun so
participants want to interact with you and each other. Know
your players and mix the appropriate amount of competition,
collaboration, group and individual quests, challenges, and
achievements to earn points, badges, and other rewards.
Design different activities for different learning styles. Auditory
learners tune into sounds, visual learners gain understanding
by observation, and kinesthetic learners learn by doing.
Easy activities should be used before demanding ones. Mix
large-group and small-group activities with brief instruction and
time for individual reflection and application.
How should you set up the physical environment for the design
to succeed? Do you have enough empty space in your room for
more active activities or will you need to adjust the format in a
crowded room.
What technology do you absolutely have to have? What do you
have available? Do they match? It not... how can you revise or
acquire the your technology needs?
Finally, don’t forget to debrief, debrief, debrief – What remarks
do you want to make and/or what discussion do you want the
participants to have after completing the learning activity?
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19. Activities to Reinforce Each Learning Objective:
What are the next steps that the participants need, should, or want
to take after completing the activity?
The instructor must stop talking and let the audience assimilate the
material presented. What activities will you design into your
curriculum to double-check that learning has occurred?
In low- or no-tech gamification you have many options to get your
participants building, creating, drawing, reflecting, discussing,
debating, sharing, competing, collaborating… in reality the
combination of possibilities is endless. Find ways to recognize,
reward, share, gift, achieve status, etc.
Be sure to get out of your comfort zone which will help your
participants to also do the same.
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20. CHAPTER
4
Add the Game Design and
Mechanics

21. Remember… the goal is to increase learning and engagement
through key concepts found in game design and behavioral
psychology.
When participants first encounter a game, they rely upon a
combination of visual cues, called game elements, to not only
understand how the game is played, but also how success is
defined and determined. The most common cues include:
Points Badges
Levels Rewards or Unlocks
Collections Leaderboards
Player Pieces Avatars
Game Boards Instructions
People love piling up points. They love to earn them, bank them,
and make sure others know how many points they have.
Trophies, badges, ribbons, etc. are the visible recognition of
having reached new levels or completed challenges. Challenges
give people goals and the feeling that they’re working toward
something. Levels are an indication that you’ve reached a
milestone or overcome a specific challenge.
Games typically give players a payoff, even if it’s only the
enjoyment of playing. It is important to realize that participants in a
gamified training activity want some sort of payoff.
Think Like a Game Designer
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Game Mechanics
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22. The aspects of games that make them fun, addicting, and challenging
can’t be reduced to a list of components or step-by-step instructions.
This is where game-design techniques come in.
Just like strategic leadership, managing a team, or creating a killer
marketing campaign, game design is a strong mix of knowledge, skill,
and luck.
“ Fiero: an Italian word for
the feeling of personal
triumph over adversity.
22

23. Games typically give players a payoff, even if it’s only the
enjoyment of playing. It is important to realize that participants in a
gamified training activity want some sort of payoff.
In games, people often gather collections of items. These
collections create a level of complexity in a game.
Leaderboards increase competition. When participants see where
they stand in relation to their peers, they work extra hard to
surpass them.
Pieces or avatars show that the person is a player and they are in
the game. They give people an identity within the game.
Game mechanics are the rules and rewards that make games
challenging, fun, and satisfying. The addition of game mechanics
enlivens your training and development programs. Participants are
not only eager to get involved, they will also work extra hard to
complete the game.
Gamified activities satisfy basic human desires such as winning,
competition, overcoming challenges, even working with others to
preserve community status.
Start building your own gamified processes to see how they work
and test the design to see what actually happens versus what you
anticipated would happen. You can also interview your players so
that you understand what they liked and didn’t like.
If users are having fun, they are more likely to stay engaged. And
when they are engaged, they are more likely to achieve
performance goals.
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24. CHAPTER
5
Tally up the Aesthetics so
They Wanna Play!

25. Don’t Forget the FUN!
In the Game the System™ model – we define aesthetics as those
extra added touches that wrap your story, characters, learning
activities, game elements and game mechanics into a consistent,
attractive – even charming and captivating – cohesiveness that
ties the entire project together.
Create great visuals that appeal to different senses – touch, sight,
and sound – using colors, designs, textures, and manipulatives.
Make your props, badges, chance cards, and rewards fun. They
should not only be fun for users to earn, but also fun to look at. Tie
them all together with a theme that you carry the entire way
through your program.
For instance, let’s say you wanted to design a curriculum for sales
training called “Light up the Future”. You could include learning
activities using real camping gear and survival techniques:
• “How Do You Start a Fire Without Any Matches?” – a
competition that generates ideas for finding new leads.
• “What To Do When All You Get is Smoke?” – techniques for
successfully closing the sale or overcoming objectives
• ”How to Keep the Fire Burning” – tips on keeping themselves
motivated and going for the next “yes”
Tally up the Aesthetics So They Wanna Play
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26. The Riddle of the Exporter™ creates an 8-step process that serves as a
roadmap for new exporters and those seeking export certification.
Centered on imaginary characters from Gun Barrel City, TX –
participants of this training have a 99% pass rate!
“
Instructional designer and creator of
the program, Elyse Eriksson believes
there are three components to a good
gamified training program: knowledge,
skill, and luck… because even when
you do everything right in life, some
things still rely on simply being lucky.
26

27. Create a theme or epic adventure: Use your story and weave the
theme as you build each of the teaching points. This way you’ll fulfill
your objectives within fun and clever aesthetics.
“
ASK YOURSELF – WHAT
FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS DO
YOU WANT YOUR PLAYERS TO
EXPERIENCE?
27

28. The bottom line is that just like a game – your gamified training
elements are all part of a system, and a system by definition, is a
group of interrelated elements that work together to form a
complex whole.
When designing your gamified training program, remember the old
saying that, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The
elements of your program individually may not seem that
significant or impactful. But when you artfully bring them together
and put them into motion – they should engage your players, draw
them in and allow them to connect emotionally with the
experience. Your players should be moved both intellectually and
emotionally..
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I Mustache You a Question - Powerful simulation case studies that allow
the participants to earn points when they choose the “most correct”
option for potential customers. Fake mustaches add to the friendly
competition – and serve as a reminder to ask questions during the sales
process to build relationship and rapport with the prospect.
28

29. The End Game
The challenge of Gamification is to take the elements that
normally operate within a game space and apply them effectively
in the real world. For example:
 To accelerate growth and learning in new employees,
develop systems and processes that enable fast and
meaningful real-time feedback.
 Capture data and share with employees in a transparent,
easily understood format. Everyone wants to know how
performance is being measured, and how they are being
compared to others.
 Challenge and reward specific actions and your people will
be naturally motivated to engage more directly and intensely
with information or activities.
Gamification of real-world activities is a powerful technique which
can motivate people and help generate loyalty to the organization,
its products, or its messages.
At its core, Gamification is about finding the fun in the things that
we have to do. Making business processes compelling by making
them fun is about the most fascinating and coolest thing that I can
think of!
A Real World Adventure
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30. f
“If someone asks the
participants what
they learned from
your training, how
would you like them
to answer?
”- Monica Cornetti
Founder and CEO, Sententia Gamification
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31. Ready to Level Up?
Game the System™
Workshops and Certifications
The ultimate workshops for Chief Learning Officers,
HR Managers and Professionals*, Training &
Development Specialists, Innovators, and
Entrepreneurs.
A 6-hour immersive, intensive workshop to create a
game-based training solution with the Game the
System™ proven method.
Learn best practices, tips, tools, and techniques to
engage people and get training results that stick from
experienced Gamification Curriculum Designers.
Book a Workshop in your city or attend our next
scheduled Regional Workshop.
*HRCI, SHRM, and ATD Recertification Credits Available
A Publication of
© 2015
www.SententiaGames.com