At a time when digital tools, apps, and simulations are increasingly used for training and learning, we sometimes forget the power of something simple and effective: the roleplaying game. While apps and digital games can often offer valuable insights, role plays often prove to be more sustainable, effective and even cost-efficient. But what makes a roleplaying game so powerful? Here we list the benefits.
Imagine playing the same game 10 times – and each time it goes differently. This is the power of roleplaying: it is the participants who create the learning experience, not the system. In the board game “Around the Table”, for example, families play different roles within a fictional farm and make important choices together. Although the game board and cards are always the same, no gameplay is identical. Each player brings his or her own unique framework, choices and reactions. This creates an endless variety of practice situations, something virtually impossible to programme into an app without high development costs.
This variation principle is reinforced by adding different roles. For example, a player might be the father who wants to sell the farm one time, and the mother who actually wants to stick to the family farm the next. Each role requires a different approach and brings a new perspective to the same situation, creating a multiplier effect: multiple scenarios x different players x different roles. This variation creates a rich, customisable learning environment that can persist without complicated software or updates.
A common goal of learning interventions is to promote ‘transfer’: translating knowledge from a practice situation into real life. Digital games or videos can simulate emotions, such as infatuation or conflict, but that remains at a distance. In a roleplay, the experience is closer to the player. After all, you are playing a part in the game, and the emotional reactions are genuine and authentic.
Compare this to social skills training: the effect of an app where you mimic a conversation will often be less impactful than a roleplay where you actually sit down with someone and get direct feedback. In our collaboration with Mythemakers we use roleplaying to guide young people. We see that this not only teaches young people skills, but also makes them easier to apply in their daily lives. Below are some photos of Mythemakers in action.
Some learning interventions do not require transfer at all. Consider an exergame in which, during the game, you directly do the exercises that you also have to do in real life. Here, no translation is needed between what you learn and what you do. In a roleplay, this kind of transfer often works better because you are already in the middle of a situation that is close to reality. You can immediately apply the skills you practise in real life.
Where digital tools sometimes fall short, people actually excel. A training actor, for instance, can express emotions that come across as authentic and convincing. Try replicating that in a 3D animation or app. Creating a digital emotional model takes months and thousands of euros, and even then it often feels fake. People, however, can evoke and convey emotions in an instant.
At 8D, we strive for the best possible learning effect within the available budget. This shows that role plays are often the most effective and affordable choice. They offer an in-depth learning experience that is easy and sustainable to deploy without high costs.
Roleplaying games offer a powerful learning experience that is often more effective and less expensive than apps. The power lies in the unique dynamics of players making choices, expressing emotions, and responding directly to each other, creating variation that is difficult to replicate digitally. By integrating roleplaying games into training programmes, you create rich, reusable learning environments that are both sustainable and affordable.
In this article, we discuss the opportunities and dangers of AI for the serious gaming sector. We also show with examples from our portfolio how AI can increase the impact of games – and how we have taken advantage of it in recent years.
Serious Games as a Research Tool Games as a Method Serious games can contribute to scientific research in many different ways and at many different stages. Think of collecting quantitative…
Working on education and youth welfare Although our home base is firmly in the Frisian clay, we have built up a large network of international cooperation partners in recent years….