Leadership Training: This Is How Pacific, the First Serious Game On Team Management, Works

Pacific has had an impressive landing in the corporate sector. It is no wonder that, the first serious game on leadership training makes the dream of every company true: to train their own leaders in a simple, effective and real way. Today, we are analyzing the secrets of the third simulator developed by Gamelearn: this is how Pacific works.

Pacific is laid upon three solid foundations: content, simulator and video game. These are the keys to success:

1. Quality, practical and customized content

Pacific is primarily a complete course with techniques, tips and tools applicable to learning how to become a leader. The contribution of the secrets on leadership of over 200 leading executives and CEOs (whom we interviewed) as well as Gamelearn’s 15 years of experience in corporate training guarantee Pacific’s theoretical approach, which is based on six key notions:

• Providing meaning to teamwork

• Building a team to face synergies

• Team motivation

• Tool development

• The correct delegation of tasks

• Feedback and coaching to boost teams

How to include all these notions in a graphic adventure? Gamelearn’s developers decided to set the story in an environment of survival and cooperation: a group of people that are lost on an island in the Pacific. A favorable setting to explain the benefits of teamwork and staying motivated.

Goal definition, conflict resolution as well as real and immediate feedback are other skills simulated on our protagonist´s island, focused at all times on practicing through the simulator.

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One of Pacific´s strengths is the possibility of”customizing” contents, that is, any company can propose their own ideas to add them to the general training program. Thus, the course is a step by step manual on how to manage and lead high performance teams.

Once the student has understood what their role in Pacific is, the game starts working on their potential to reach well-defined objectives:

• Promoting communication to improve task delegation, coaching, motivation and performance evaluation
• Developing techniques to increase team efficiency
• Increasing the trust and confidence of the employee in its skills as a leader and people manager
• Practicing real life situations in a risk-free context (it is a simulated reality)
• Learning the resources and tips for resolving conflicts within a team

2. Experiential learning through the simulator

A team of volunteers traveling to provide humanitarian aid gets stranded on a desert island after a plane crash, with no possibility to communicate or send any SOS. The student takes the role of the leader to coordinate the whole group and manage to escape from the island.

With this engaging storyline, the player begins the course by selecting the avatar they will advance throughout the game with. Pacific introduces a novelty right from the start; the user can choose between a male or a female role.

Once the character has been selected, the simulation begins: the fundamental goal is to survive and leave the island, overcoming the difficulties caused by isolation and the dangers of nature. Throughout the game, students can consult evolution charts and check their progress compared to that of other participants, thanks to the ranking accessible from the main menu.

The leadership simulator has been developed with HTML5 language for a better and easier implementation, enabling access from any device (PC, tablets, smartphones, etc.). Besides, the 3D modeling contributes to a more advanced design for a complete learning experience.

Gamification techniques at the service of training

The gamification techniques included in this leadership course are another one of the fundamental bases of Pacific. The storytelling, central point of any graphic adventure, the rankings and level system to foster commitment and involvement, and the badges used to reward user progress are key elements to generate motivation and engagement when undertaking a training experience.

How does Pacific apply gamification techniques? To successfully train leadership skills, the game features a menu which is very intuitive for the participant, allowing them to move around the island looking for their fellow adventurers, to whom they will have to assign tasks, among other things.

Beyond the map, the leader in Pacific will have to carefully study the cards of each player (their teammates on the island), to find out about the specific needs of each one of them and resolve any conflicts arising during the survival plot.

Through these descriptive cards, which simulate the personalities we encounter in our day-to-day real life, students also learn to detect the strengths and weaknesses of each team member, one of the main roles of team leaders.

Another one of the menus of this serious game, presented on October 29 to over 400 HR managers is the group actions menu, through which it is possible to simulate team meetings and activities in order to create synergies.

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All of this, of course, is supported by written readings that students can download as they consume energy and get through virtual days. Throughout all these lessons, accessible in schematic form, the participants reinforce what they learn and unlock new features, until they complete the five modules which make up the full course on leadership and team management.

Pacific is designed for any professionals who wants to boost their career or improve their ability to manage projects and high performance teams. Whether you are a company manager or not, whether you are in charge of an organization or not, Pacific is your course, because anyone can be a leader. Are you in for the journey?

Pacific Serious Game Official Trailer