Pieces of Eight

The legendary (and infamous) Spanish Reale, or "Piece of Eight" is the coin of pirate lore, when kings ruled the land, and pirates ruled the sea!! Minted for over 300 years, Spanish Reales were the world's premiere trade coin... and were the coin of choice for kings and pirates alike.

At Sententia Gamification our three levels of certification in gamification are based in the tale of Nick, the great-grandson of the infamous pirate, Captain Nathaniel Wilson. Nick’s story begins at a typical L&D conference session when he is handed this map and begins his global adventure into the realm of gamification design for learning.

This map shows the trademarked and proven process for gamifying an adult learning program. Each steppingstone takes you closer to a successful deployment. And while this is a proven and simple process, it’s not easy.

So, let’s start with some ideas about your program in a design activity we call Pieces of Eight.

1. Take a blank sheet of paper and fold it in half four times, then unfold it, you now have eight panels.

1. Then you have 7 minutes (roughly) to think through eight areas of your project. Yes, that is correct, 50 seconds for each square.
   
   
2. No need to worry about making this pretty.
   
   
3. 50-seconds each section – ready go!
    
   1. What is your business objective or problem to be solved?
   2. What is the beginning state? Where are they now?
   3. What is the motivational profile of your learner? What is their pain?
   4. What is the narrative, storyline, theme, or context you will use to frame the course/program/event?
   5. What are your learning objectives? What do you need your learners to know so they can do?
   6. Method of delivery? (Asynchronous, vILT, ILT, blended, AR, VR, etc.)
   7. What game mechanics are you considering incorporating to trigger actions or give feedback, recognition or reward to actions taken?
   8. How will you measure the success of your program?

Because you only have 50 seconds for each section, you’ll need to turn off any self-editing and just get your ideas on paper.

That’s it. You’re now ready to launch your own adventure into the realm of gamification design for learning. Pirates Rule the Sea!