--- title: Gamification Is The Secret Sauce to Explosive Learner Engagement description: Wouldn’t it be great if your training program helped keep them engaged at work? It can. You just need a little secret sauce called gamification. 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That’s how many employees go to work unengaged every day, [according to Gallup](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/311561/employee-engagement-continues-historic-rise-amid-coronavirus.aspx). You know them. They’re the ones doing the minimum. The ones ready to jump at the next offer. You know. .. the ones *not* driving your business’s competitive edge. Wouldn’t it be great if your training program helped keep them engaged at work? It can. You just need a little secret sauce called gamification. ## What is Gamification? When we think of the term “gamification,” we tend to think of fancy technology. But it’s simpler and more common than you think. Ever collect McDonald’s stickers for your free coffee? That’s a gamified experience. Elearning technology gamifies learning experiences in both simple and complex ways. Here are some of the most popular gamification elements: - Displaying a leaderboard with top scorers. - Letting your learners earn badges. - Unlocking special content by achieving milestones. - Tracking streaks for certain behaviors like logging in daily. - Adding learning games like matching or timed flashcards. - Giving your learner a lifeline. They lose or gain health for accuracy. Check out our blog post, [The 6 Best Gamification Tools to Engage Your Learners](https://blog.benchprep.com/gamification-tools-to-engage-learners), for more gamification techniques. ### Do Adults Really Want to Play Games?   The research is in. Adults do want to play games! - [90% of respondents believe a fun work environment is motivating](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-on-employee-engagement-finds-70-of-workers-dont-need-monetary-rewards-to-feel-motivated-211394831.html). - [Gamification improved engagement by 48%](https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/01/winning-talent-game-gamification-impacting-business-hr/). - [97% of trainees completed gamified training sessions](https://www.ehstoday.com/safety-technology/article/21919835/using-gamification-to-train-millennials). That’s what makes gamification the ideal solution for explosive learner engagement. Secretly, adults just want to have fun. If you’re unsure how to gamify your program, you need a learning management system (LMS) with baked-in gamification tools. With[BenchPrep Ascend](https://www.benchprep.com/benchprep-ascend-online-learning-platform), you can automatically enable the games center to keep your learners engaged. ## How Learner Engagement Also Solves Learner Retention Learner retention is the holy grail among eLearning professionals. Everyone wants to prove how much knowledge their learners have retained. Unfortunately, human memory makes retention difficult to achieve. Humans forget most of what they learn in a matter of weeks. It’s called the [forgetting curve](https://blog.benchprep.com/conquer-the-forgetting-curve-with-microlearning-strategies-that-work). What if all it took was a few leaderboards and badges to combat this effect? All learners need to do to stay at the top of their game is study for a few minutes a day. [Spaced repetition](https://blog.benchprep.com/how-spaced-repetition-helps-learners-achieve-mastery-in-your-learning-program) is the key to long-term knowledge retention. But, learners find daily practice difficult. What learner wants to study for a few minutes every day? Fortunately, gamification can give learners the motivation they need to practice every day. ### Gamification Positively Affects Motivation  Games make use of the [Zeigarnik effect](https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/zeigarnik-effect). Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik discovered participants [remembered more if they were interrupted during their assigned task](https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/zeigarnik-effect). Our brains seem to hold onto a task if it’s left undone. Psychologically, we want to complete it. Traditional class schedules operate exactly opposite to the [Zeigarnik effect](https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/zeigarnik-effect). They focus on the completion of assignments, exams, and courses. This practice actually encourages our brains to forget the information we learned. Games motivate learners because they feel compelled to complete the task. It might be a challenge or unlocking a level. The game motivates learners to log on. And once they do, they’re almost guaranteed to improve their knowledge retention. Multiple study sessions or [spaced repetition improved learner retention by 170%](https://blog.benchprep.com/how-spaced-repetition-helps-learners-achieve-mastery-in-your-learning-program). ## Why Choose an LMS with Gamification Features?  Gamification often scares eLearning professionals. They think games are too complex and time-consuming to design. Luckily, learning platforms have advanced enough that you don’t need to be a game designer to take advantage of gamification in your instructional design. You design the course linearly, then the platform takes care of the rest. [BenchPrep’s platform](https://www.benchprep.com/benchprep-ascend-online-learning-platform)has two options to painlessly gamify your content: 1. Use the virtual leaderboards and badges to motivate your learners in the real world. 2. Activate our games center. The platform automatically turns boring information into matching games, timed quizzes, and more. Gamification is only one method to engage your learners, but there are many ways to engage learners and result in real impact with your learning programs. Download our on-demand webinar to learn an approach to planning, creating, and evaluating learning experiences that starts with clearly defined outcomes and focuses on maximizing relevancy and engagement for learners. [![Download Now](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3653985/51447388-0ee7-4f76-b9af-564feab9adf3.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3653985/51447388-0ee7-4f76-b9af-564feab9adf3)     ### Share On [![Facebook](https://blog.benchprep.com/hubfs/assets/Images/Icons/facebook.svg) Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=&t=) [![Twitter](https://blog.benchprep.com/hubfs/assets/Images/Icons/twitter.svg) Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?) [![Linkedin](https://blog.benchprep.com/hubfs/assets/Images/Icons/linkedin.svg) Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=&title=&summary=&source=) ### Related Blog Posts ![How to Keep Learners Motivated: 7 Expert-Backed Strategies That Work](https://blog.benchprep.com/hubfs/Blog/2025%20Blogs/How%20to%20Keep%20Learners%20Motivated/7%20Proven%20Strategies%20from%20Learning%20Experts%20to%20Boost%20Learner%20Engagement%20-Blog%20Header.png) ### [How to Keep Learners Motivated: 7 Expert-Backed Strategies That Work](https://blog.benchprep.com/learner-engagement-tips-strategies) Learner engagement matters. Without it, even the best content falls flat. ... [Read More](https://blog.benchprep.com/learner-engagement-tips-strategies) ![LMS Sunset Migration Guide: How to Future-Proof Your Learning Programs](https://blog.benchprep.com/hubfs/Blog/2025%20Blogs/LMS%20Sunset%20Migration%20Guide/LMS%20Sunset%20Migration%20Guide-Blog%20Header.png) ### [LMS Sunset Migration Guide: How to Future-Proof Your Learning Programs](https://blog.benchprep.com/lms-sunset-migration-guide-future-proof-learning-programs) Technology evolves, markets shift, and sometimes that means the tools you ... 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