How to Make Adult Learning as Addictive as Games

Before we even talk about how to develop lifelong learning habits or how to improve the way we learn, if learning itself is perceived as a dreary task, then there will be little reason to continue. It’d be like trying to drive a car with flat tires — you can drag the car for some distance, but it’s not going to go far.

Most of us who are already in the workforce would have completed some years of compulsory or obligatory education. But sadly, that’s also when serious learning stops as we turn our attention to establishing ourselves in the job or business we’re in. But as I mentioned in the earlier article on lifelong learning, not engaging in any form of active learning actually undermines our competitive edge and is detrimental to both our career / business as well as our brain health.

But knowing the possible dire consequences of something is not enough. Unless the threats are immediate, fear is neither a good nor reliable source of motivation. It’s at best a short-term energy source that will push us to act for a period of time, but the momentum will be lost as soon as the fear fades into oblivion. How then do we ensure that we’ve a sustainable source of motivation that will keep us on the road of lifelong learning?

Drawing Lessons on Motivation from Games

Perhaps we can draw some useful lessons from electronic games. I used to enjoy playing Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series of games so much that I remembered sitting through one gaming session without sleep. What makes games so addictive that players are willing to sacrifice their time, money, sleep and even their job? Let us look at some relevant characteristics of games and apply them to our lifelong learning quest:

• Games are fun and engaging. No one likes to play boring games. Likewise, it’s important to make learning fun and engaging. If learning becomes dreadful, not only will you find it harder to concentrate, you’ll also be less inclined to continue. On the contrary, if the learning experience is interesting, acquiring new knowledge or a new skill will become effortless, and you’re also more likely to look forward to your next learning session.

  Be creative. Use seemingly unrelated stuff to enrich your learning experience. Say you’re trying to learn Mandarin. Start a blog and practice writing in Chinese language. Read comics written in Chinese and translate them to English. Fearful of speaking in the public? Try practicing story telling to your kids, nephews or your loyal cuddly friends. Go karaoke with your friends and make them listen to your opening speeches before singing. With a little creativity, learning can be plenty of fun!

• Missions and goals in games are crystal clear. In games, what is expected of you as a player is very clear cut. Want to liberate your friends and this world from the clutches of evil monsters? Find the ten magical stones left by a powerful sorcerer a thousand years ago. And within the main plot, there will always be sub-plots and smaller missions that support the main storyline. In the same vein, for lifelong learning to be sustainable, it’s important for you to know why you’re doing it. What do you want to achieve five years from now? How about ten years from now? Lay down measurable long-term as well as short-term goals. Then plan your learning expedition to help you get there.

• Playing games is a highly rewarding experience. The reason why many people are addicted to playing games is because they derive immense satisfaction out of it. All games have a rewarding system that keeps players coming back for more. The value and amount of rewards given are always tied to the difficulty of the tasks completed. Completed a minor quest? Well-done! Here are some small loots for your effort. Annihilated the headquarter of the bad guys? Excellent! You’ve won yourself a title as well as some rare prizes. Note that even though none of the rewards given in games are real, they are no less addictive than nicotine. Because like cigarette, playing games gives us pleasure.

  Similarly, to ensure that your brain associates learning with pleasure, you should also build some form of rewards into your lifelong learning system. Link the rewards to your long and short-term goals. Read two chapters this week? Treat yourself to a nice dinner. Completed the intermediate Chinese language course? Go for a well-deserved vacation to recharge yourself.

• Games are competitive and challenging in nature. Whether you’ve competing with characters in the games or you’re competing with your friends, games give you a deep sense of excitement and satisfaction by adding an element of competitiveness. When there are challenges, you’ll be more motivated to better yourself so that you can defeat your friends or the virtual characters in the games.

  Applying that to lifelong learning, if there’s no way for you to put your newly acquired skill or knowledge to some form of test, there will be little motivation to take learning seriously. I know many of us hated tests and examinations when we were in schools, but don’t let your fear of them be a stumbling block. Tests actually bring many benefits: Firstly, they are a great way to measure progress. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult to know how much you’ve absorbed. Tests also help us to apply and reinforce what we’ve learned in books.

  If your learning system doesn’t already include some form of tests or examinations, you can easily incorporate ‘missions’ and ‘quests’ to keep you on your toes and help you to measure progress. For example, if your goal is to feel comfortable talking to a large group of people within a year, your tests could take the form of presentations in your workplace or community clubs. Ask your friends or colleagues to be your judges and use their feedback as a way to keep track of your progress.

• KO is no big deal. Gamers don’t give up. They know that they can always go back to their games and try again. If they failed, they will go back, honed their skills, toughen up their characters and try once more. They will try all ways to make sure they get through a tough stage. KO (or knocked out) in the gamers’ world just means try again. And there’s no limit to the number of times you can try. But the same can’t be said of many people when it comes to learning. When met with roadblocks, many would give up and take it as a sign that they are not cut out for a particular field or subject. It never occurs to them that perhaps their learning approach can be improved or they simply need to put in more effort. Don’t let transient setbacks or failures discourage you. No failures last forever unless you choose to make them so.

Image credit: Square Enix