Level Up Learning: What Instructional Designers Can Learn from Video Game Design

If you’ve ever spent “just five more minutes” trying to beat a tough level, or lost track of time collecting mushrooms, gold, or oddly specific potion ingredients, you already know something video games do very well: engage learners.

Imagine if your next compliance training had even half that energy.

Instructional designers may not be coding the next Legend of Zelda, but there’s a lot we can borrow from game design to make learning more motivating, immersive, and fun.

Start with the Player (er, Learner)

Game design insight: Games are built around player experience—clear goals, intuitive mechanics, and increasingly complex challenges.

Instructional design takeaway: Put the learner at the center of the experience. Before writing a single slide or module, ask:

• What does the learner already know?
• What do they need to do differently?
• What will keep them engaged?

Treat your learners like players entering a new world. Give them a reason to care.

Introduce New Skills Gradually (Tutorial Mode!)

Game design insight: Great games teach you how to play without reading a 50-page manual. You jump into the action and pick up new skills along the way.

Instructional design takeaway: Scaffold your learning. Introduce key concepts in small doses and reinforce them through practice. Instead of an information dump, think:

• Microlearning episodes

• Interactive walkthroughs

• Learn-by-doing simulations

No one wants to sit through 30 minutes of theoretical mechanics before touching the controller — or the LMS.

Use Motivation Mechanics (a.k.a. Make It Rewarding)

Game design insight: Whether it’s XP, power-ups, or a shiny badge for sidequests, games are masters of reward psychology.

Instructional design takeaway: Build in feedback loops and achievements that motivate learners:

• Progress bars (people love watching them fill)
• Knowledge checks with instant feedback
• Badges or points for completing modules

And if it fits your culture, leaderboards can work (just don’t make Bill in Accounting cry).

Let Learners Fail Safely

Game design insight: Games expect you to fail, and then try again. It’s part of the fun.

Instructional design takeaway: Make room for low-stakes failure. Design activities where learners can:

1. Experiment without penalty
2. Revisit concepts
3. Choose different paths to explore

Simulations, branching scenarios, and “choose your own adventure” content make failure a tool, not a punishment.

Story Is Everything

Game design insight: Even simple games have story hooks that make you want to progress. (Save the princess. Find the artifact. Escape the lab.)

Instructional design takeaway: Wrap your training in a story or real-world context:

• A relatable problem to solve
• A fictional company in crisis
• A character learners can root for

Narratives give learners purpose—and purpose boosts retention.

Give Learners Choices

Game design insight: Open-world games thrive because players get to choose their path, their tools, and their consequences.

Instructional design takeaway: Whenever possible, offer choices in learning:

• Modular content learners can explore in any order
• Role-based journeys
• Scenario paths based on decisions

Autonomy = engagement. Learners don’t want to be railroaded through a content slideshow. Give them a map, not just a to-do list.

Final Level: Design with Purpose, Not Just Flash

Gamification doesn’t mean turning your compliance training into Candy Crush. But it does mean using proven principles from games — motivation, pacing, storytelling, and challenge — to make learning experiences more effective and enjoyable.

So the next time you’re stuck designing your tenth onboarding module this quarter, ask yourself: “What would a game designer do?”

Then go build the learning quest your audience didn’t even know they needed.

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