Interactive games at your institution. Why do they matter? Sure, they engage visitors… but, what’s so great about them? Today I'd like to share why interactive games are so useful for attracting and engaging your key demographics.
Who Do Games Appeal To and What the Heck are the '3 E's'?
Essentially, mobile games are an incredible way to attract, engage, and connect with two visitor demographics: millennials and families.
As digital technology becomes increasingly ubiquitous, millennials and families expect 3 things (the 3 E’s):
Education
Experiences (novel and good)
Entertainment
Interactive games are a great way to check all 3 of these boxes simultaneously.
What Value Do Games Offer?
Games are ubiquitous. There’s a reason that over 75% of people in the US are gamers. The science is in, and it shows that games are a great way to develop and hone cognitive skills, and foster learning while providing good entertainment.
In fact, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) says that games are the best way to learn. Performance, effort, and knowledge all increase from educational games.
According to the FAS, games offer:
90% increase in learning retention
11% increase in conceptual knowledge
20% increase in practical knowledge
How Does This Relate To My Institution?:
Visitors want to be educated through diverse, entertaining experiences -- but you have to entertain them before you can educate them. Remember that monotonous teacher you had in school, the one that could find a way to make any topic uninteresting? That is what happens when you don't provide entertainment with your educative experience.
Games are a great way to offer an engaging, educational, and interactive experience, especially to millennials and families. When mobile games are done right, they allow visitors of all ages to play, with content that is accessible, engaging and educative.
Truly engaging information can change your attitude or viewpoint or provide you with an epiphany. In short: it can be a transformative experience, with a caveat. You must engage and entertain visitors before you can educate them.