T
TrAining
www.vanguardcanada.com APRIL/MAY 2015 41
from experimenTATion To WideSpreAd AdopTion
major (ret'd) david o'brien is vice-president of
business development for Modest Tree. Commissioned as an
aerospace engineering officer, he served for 38 years and has
over 80 training technology projects under his belt.
air force
gamification
m
erriam-Webster defines gamification as "the process
of adding games or game-like elements to some-
thing (as a task) so as to encourage participation."
Gamification deeply engages students in the learn-
ing process, stimulating them to apply themselves through chal-
lenge, competition, and fun.
How does gamification apply in the military? To explore this,
let me share some of my personal experiences with gamification in
the Royal Canadian Air Force. As you will soon see, it's a concept
with some history that has been applied successfully, and has tre-
mendous opportunity for growth.
hooked from the start
As a bit of background, I started dabbling with advanced training
technologies back in 2002 while in charge of aircraft technician
training at 404 Squadron, Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Air force
training headquarters had provided seed money to experiment
with 3D interactive e-learning.
