Gamification will make learning fun — Kamath

The Founder of the Tantalum Academy, Mithun Kamath, is an international skills development specialist. He has been a key factor in starting and building organisations across the globe. He believes blending technology with life and work skills can deliver transformational social impact. He spoke on how Tantalum Academy has developed the idea of gamification to promote learning and improve personal effectiveness, noting that it is a learning that is woven around fun to inspire the partakers. The academy blends emotional skills, social skills and business competencies into one single concept that is crucial to career and organisational success of individuals.

How is it possible to learn through games?
Through gamified learning experience, individuals learn instantaneously in an exciting atmosphere. The learning is game- based with friends and colleagues spiced with laughter and fun to acquire new skills. The gamified learning programmes are indeed path- breaking approach to competency development.

The games teach the participants how to manage their emotions and also build relationships. The game also helps the participants to do their jobs excellently.

Through the learning experience, people play games that are strategic and join their groups. It creates fun and laughter as people travel to several planets while playing. The game concepts expose the players to crucial business skills like innovation, critical thinking and analysis, complex problem solving and general behavioral change, among others.

What differentiates gamified learning from others?
What Tantalum offers is a purpose-based game that aligns with individual and organisational interests basically designed to build knowledge, confidence, critical thinking, self-management and relationship.

Who are the target audience of gamified learning?
Gamified learning appeals to all segments of the society – students, the unemployed, the employed, graduates and corporate organisations. Gamified learning equips students with skills that make them employable.

What is your view on its acceptability in Nigeria?
Tantalum has entrenched its clout of gamified learning system as more people embrace it. It has been fantastic as the traditional learning approach is no longer effective. People get bored with the physical training while gamified learning is the game- changer.

Celebrities like Joke Silva and Banky W have also undergone the gamified learning and they are now brand endorsers promoting its uniqueness.

What is the impact of gamified learning?
Everything is about soft skills and the ability to communicate. The impact of gamified learning has been tied to improved performance on the job as it has been proven to instill discipline and confidence, leading to major behavioral change.

It further helps individuals to showcase their competencies, which further exposes their leadership skills and positions them for possible promotion or more leadership responsibilities.

What is the future of this style of learning?
Gamified learning is very futuristic in its approach, as people want to learn. It promotes effective learning beyond the typical physical and online training. Everything about gamified learning and development establishes it as the future of learning. By 2030, 75 per cent of jobs will require soft skills and this is very huge. Soft skills are the future of the workplace.