Gamification in adult education: How business games increase motivation in the learning process
Find out how gamification can lead to a significantly more effective learning process and offer great added value, especially in the context of online training.
Gamification in adult education:
How business games increase motivation in the learning process
Gamification – a term that is gaining more and more importance in continuing education. And rightly so: playful elements in the learning process can significantly boost motivation and sustainably improve learning success.
But what exactly does gamification mean? Gamification transfers game-like features, such as point collection, competitions, or leaderboards, into a non-game context. When used correctly, this creates a powerful learning concept: content becomes more interactive, abstract topics more tangible, and the learning process overall more engaging. Gamification unfolds its full potential especially in online formats, where a high degree of self-motivation is required.
Gamification in the teaching context pursues a clear goal: to convey knowledge playfully and thereby make the learning process more effective, sustainable, and motivating. It leverages a basic human instinct: the urge to play. Typical game elements like point systems, competitions, or level advancements directly appeal to learners. They increase engagement and encourage a willingness to actively engage with the material. Even dry or complex topics can be made interesting and tangible this way. A particularly successful example of this are business games. They combine economic theory with practical decision-making and turn learning into an active experience.
Especially in online learning, gamification can avoid lack of motivation and self-discipline.
How is gamification used in business games?
In business games, participants take on the role of management of a virtual company. They develop strategies, make decisions, and experience their consequences directly during the gameplay. They compete in teams against other groups. Over several game rounds, they manage real business processes and observe the immediate effects of their decisions. In this way, participants develop a playful understanding of how different company departments and functions interact.
It is precisely this interactive nature that makes business games a prime example of gamification in adult education. The competitive aspect creates excitement and motivation, while the regular feedback on company results provides an immediate learning experience. This creates a dynamic learning process that goes far beyond theoretical knowledge.
Business games belong to the category of so-called serious games. These are games that not only entertain but also convey knowledge and skills. They enable participants to experience economic contexts rather than just learn them abstractly.
Gamification in business games promotes active, motivated, and practice-oriented learning through playful teamwork and a realistic competitive character. Participants act as the management of their own company, which leads them to grow emotionally into their role: they experience success and failure up close, feel the impact of their decisions, and reflect on them as a team. This emotional involvement creates a high learning effectiveness because valuable insights for the next game round often arise from mistakes.
Besides fostering entrepreneurial thinking, the shared experimentation also strengthens mutual trust within the team. The simulation setting provides a safe space where strategies can be tested, risks taken, and decisions questioned — all without real consequences but with a lasting learning effect.
Trying things out together in a team helps to develop a deep understanding of the learning contents.
The use of game-typical features in the MARGA business game
The MARGA business simulation deliberately uses typical game elements to make learning a tangible experience and to promote the transfer of knowledge into practice. Central to this is learning by doing in a team. By jointly managing a virtual company, participants not only develop a deep understanding of economic relationships but also decision-making skills and self-confidence. They apply new content directly, reflect on its effects, and thus reinforce their knowledge through repetition and application within the game. Another key success factor is the strong team experience: tasks are solved through exchange, ideas are discussed, and successes are celebrated together. This creates a high level of social interactivity that also positively influences collaboration in everyday professional life. At the same time, important soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and cooperation are trained.
A core element of gamification in the MARGA simulation is competition: after each game period, the results of all teams are displayed in a ranking. Participants can see at a glance how their company performs compared to the competition. This direct performance comparison is highly motivating. It fuels ambition, provides incentives to stay engaged, and increases identification with one’s own team.
Immediate feedback plays a crucial role. After each round, players receive detailed feedback on the impact of their decisions. They learn what worked and what didn’t. This not only makes the learning process transparent but also continuously optimizable.
Another advantage: individual tutoring by experienced MARGA trainers. They accompany the teams, provide targeted impulses, answer questions, and help deepen the understanding of business contexts. This is especially an important success factor for sustainable learning in the online format.
Working on the tasks within a team strengthens the collective experience and thus the team spirit as well as interactivity.
Gamification as important learning tool
Gamification is not just a trend but a powerful tool for sustainable learning. Especially in adult education, gamification can help increase motivation, make complex content more accessible, and strengthen the transfer to practical application.
The MARGA business game demonstrates how this works in practice: it combines economic know-how with playful elements, creates space for active experimentation, and simultaneously promotes teamwork and decision-making skills. Participants experience business contexts not only theoretically but through a dynamic, emotional, and interactive learning process.
This is how learning becomes an experience!
“What makes MARGA so unique from our point of view is that the actual learning kind of happens en passant. Our employees were enthused for a rather ‘dull subject’ by means of the business simulation and thereby easily learned the contents. The festive final at the ‘Schloss Gracht’ castle was a great reward for all the effort and commitment.”
Klaus-Dieter Humm, Director Accounting SOKA-BAU
Do‘s and Don’ts in Online Trainings
Successful online training thrives on interaction, structure, and technical preparation. With the right planning and tools, your online training will not only be efficient but also a rewarding learning experience for everyone involved!…
Mistakes as an opportunity for further development
Failures are not a dead end, but a valuable opportunity for further development. Business simulations enable managers and teams to accept mistakes as part of the learning process and gain important insights from them.
Innovative team building with business games
Business games as team-building measures create shared experiences and success stories that sustainably strengthen team cohesion. Employees learn to contribute their individual strengths and recognize the value of teamwork in a dynamic environment.