Branching Scenario Games

Guide Branching Scenario GamesWhat are Branching Scenario Games?

Branching Scenario Games are a great way

to teach thought

processes, behavior, or

communication skills, and to

show the consequences of choices.

Cathy Moore’s branching scenario game: Helping the US Army connect with Afghan locals

If you’ve ever seen a movie where the hero makes one small choice that ripples outward, affecting his entire life, you understand the idea behind Branching Scenario Games.

Immersive, engaging, complex games that teach learners real life deciscon making skills in real-life situations--could there be anything more made-to-order for Instructional Designers?

If you’d like to know more about how to create branching scenarios, this guide is for you.

You’ll learn how to construct and design an effective branching scenario, and then how to use the BranchTrack software to deliver the game.

Guide Branching Scenario GamesHow and when do you use Branching Scenario Games?

Your choices should be nuanced,

realistic, and all be

equally attractive

to the player.

Branching Scenarios are so much fun to make and so exciting for the learner that you’ll want to immediately convert all your exisiting topics into the format.

The only bad news about Branching Scenarios is that they aren’t a good match for all topics. Like aged cheese, the films of Quentin Tarantino, and opera, they are only for certain audiences.

They work very well for nuanced situations like cultural intergration, ethical choices, conversations where word choices are key (such a sales and performance coaching) and customer service interactions that are “off-script”.

We have found through experimentation that this game doesn’t really work to teach fact-based topics, such as “how-to” or “tips”. The end result is very flat with the choices being very obviously right or wrong—no real challenge for the player.

The best fit for Branching Scenarios is a very specific situation where a series of decisions must be made, and these decisions lead to consequences.

Guide Branching Scenario GamesCreating your Branching Scenario Game

A complex branched

scenario is a

like a story.

You need:

1. A situation that is real, complex, detailed, and specific.

“An irate customer” is the right direction, but we need the same level of detail an associate faces on the floor– account history, product specs, scripting, and tools.

2. The common mistakes or errors made during the process, and the consequences of same.

If we are teaching our learners to make nuanced choices about sharing confidential documents, get your SME to tell you what happens when an interal power point is leaked, and then write that into your scenario.

3. A clear, actionable goal. “Awareness” or “compliance” is simply not enough. What specific steps, behaviors, scripts, or actions does the employee need to demonstrate, and how will we know they are being done? Drill down deep to get the real performance objective to build a successful scenario game. Time to build your scenario game map: http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/an-easy-way-to-build-branched-scenarios-for-e-learning/

Guide Branching Scenario GamesResource Guide

“People learn best when the

content is relevant to the

learner.How are you

engaging the

learners and creating a

conduit for them to receive

the

information?”-Tom Kuhlman,

The Rapid E-Learning Blog 

Resource Guide for Branching Scenarios

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/

This blog is an incredible warehouse of gems on e-learning, instructional design, graphic design, and how to use PowerPoint and Articulate to your best advantage.

http://blog.cathy-moore.com/

This blog will change the way you think about creating training materials. Highly recommend!!

http://www.worldwarfighter.com/hajikamal/activity/

Cathy Moore’s exceptional game. Use as inpsiration for where we can go withour Branching Scenario Games!

http://www.branchtrack.com/projects/c940yusi

Example BranchTrack game built by Naomi

http://www.branchtrack.com/

Branching Scenario Game tool.

Tom Kuhlman’s work. Check it out for ideas, inspiration, and help.