learning and development — Blog — Level Up Your Learning

Playing a MOBA can make your team 'Mo-Awesome!'

“OMG, the other team is capping top!” “I need heals, now!” “You go mid and soak XP, I’ll take top.”

If you’ve never played a MOBA (Massive Online Battle Arena) these terms will likely leave you scratching your head or make you roll your eyes and click away from this post, but wait! Before you click away because you think, “Erin, there is no way in any shape or form that a MOBA can help my professional life.” I challenge you to hear me out.

MOBAs teach epic teamwork. They motivate players to hone their personal skills for the good of the team and the objective at hand. They also teach that putting others’ needs first is often best for the overall objective, and when that objective is hit, everyone wins.

Chocolate covered Cognitive Load.....Yum?

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I’ve been scrambling to get the perfect gift for that special someone. My husband and I have this little tradition where we buy a big box of chocolates from the specialty chocolate store down the street. These chocolates are DELICIOUS! Like worth everything calorie kind of good. We take turns choosing one, trying it, discussing why or why we don’t like it. However, every year the same thing happens. About 3 or 4 chocolates in my tongue goes into sugar overload. These delicately crafted gems of goodness all start tasting very similar and we stop enjoying the activity. At this point we will bust out the wine, take a break and come back later for round 2 when our taste buds have rallied the troops and all systems are go.

Get In the Zone!

Super Bowl LII is nearly upon us. This can mean only one thing...I’m going to Costco this weekend for epic game-day samples! But seriously, have you ever been to Costco on Super Bowl weekend? It is a mad-house! So while the Eagles and Patriots dream of the end zone, I’m getting into my zone to take on the crowds, but first I want to talk to you about the most important zone of them all: The Zone of Proximal Development.

Killers, Achievers, Socializers, and Explorers, Oh My! A a closer look at Bartle's Taxonomy of Player Types

I’m a Killer at heart. That is I enjoy winning. I enjoy competition that pits me directly against others. I find it thrilling. Am I actually a killer? No, unless you count the spiders (deceased) that I find in my house. But as far as a player type, I’m a Killer.

What?

Let’s talk about Bartle’s Taxonomy of 4 player types. When designing game-based learning it’s important to think about your audience and what type of players you may have. Also, what type of players will your game appeal to?

Gamification 101

Gamification is a popular buzzword. But what is it really? Is it making your way through a maze of levels on a gaming console? Or maybe it's candy crush on your phone. Perhaps it's collecting points to save up for a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee house. Or it could be a game of Jeopardy to review the content in your your final day of on-boarding.