Gamification Talk Radio

Doc Yavelberg, author of The Sententia Shift: How Gamification Rewrites How We Solve Problems, featured in the GameChangers Anthology. Doc is an artist, educator, designer, and strategist whose work bridges art, learning, and systems thinking. As the founder of Flying Cloud Solutions, he helps organizations transform complexity into clarity using gamification, human-centered design, and his Be AI-gile framework—an approach that blends AI with adaptive design practices to prepare organizations for the future of work.

My guest today is Bernardo Letayf, we’re exploring not one but two chapters he contributed to the GameChangers Anthology. His first, Problems, Users, and Actions: Creating the Learner Journey, offers a clear, actionable model for designing meaningful engagement. His second, Love, Happiness, and Engagement: A Reflection, goes deeper—challenging us to think differently about what truly drives learning and connection. Bernardo is the founder of BLUERABBIT, creator of the BLUERABBIT gamification platform, and a pioneer in designing experiences that make learning measurable, meaningful, and fun. He’s worked with educators and organizations around the world to help them build game-based learning ecosystems that sustain motivation and growth.

Enframing and the Human Moment in Learning Design. Frank Parker is a retired Director of Instructional Technology at Johnson C. Smith University and one of our most active, engaged, generous, and gracious members of our Sententia gamification community of practice

My guest today is Susan Peahl, and joining us as well is Phil Ferrone. Our topic is: Clarity Before Clicks: Before You Buy That Tech. Susan holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Design and has decades of experience transforming workplace learning. She has trained more than 10,000 leaders across industries, blending academic expertise with real-world insight. She’s also an award-winning improviser and actor, which gives her a rare ability to connect with audiences and make learning memorable. Phil brings his own leadership experience to the conversation, offering a client and organizational perspective on what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to investing in training and technology.

Unofficial History of Gamification: From Playful Roots to Purposeful Practice in Learning. Karl has a worldwide reputation as one of the pioneers in the gamification of learning and instruction—literally writing the book on the subject. He’s an international keynote speaker, a TEDx presenter, and author of over a dozen LinkedIn Learning courses. Karl works with organizations across the globe to create meaningful, interactive learning experiences, from board games to simulations to enterprise programs.

The Framework Factor: Building Scalable Gamification That Works. Keith is Associate Director of Global Learning & Development at Merck, founder of Lillico Learning Solutions, and a Certified Gamification Master Craftsman. His work blends game design elements, accessibility, and business alignment to create learning content that meets learner needs while achieving enterprise goals. He’s been recognized as an ATD “One to Watch,” Training Magazine Emerging Leader, and 2023 ATD Outstanding Learning Professional of the Year.

GameFrame™: Rethinking Leadership with Coaching and Play. Rihan is an ICF Master Certified Coach, a Gamification Master Craftsman, and a Leadership Development Specialist with over two decades of experience. She’s also a LEGO® Serious Play® Facilitator and EQ Practitioner, known for connecting coaching frameworks with professional and organizational practice. Rihan’s work has been presented at international conferences, and she’s committed to creating inclusive, reflective spaces that empower professionals and leaders to thrive.

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It: From Prototype to Award-Winning Training Game. Artrell is a Certified Gamification Master Craftsman through Sententia Gamification and creator of Taiyazukuri, an award-winning playing card game designed to teach manufacturing processes. This game received accolades at TechLearn 2023 and was recognized internationally by a global manufacturer in Japan. Since 2008, Artrell has worked across telecommunications, manufacturing, and workforce development, helping organizations build leadership capacity, improve retention, and close performance gaps. He’s also the founder of Mukevä Learning Partners, an L&D consulting practice focused on immersive, results-driven solutions. Artrell, your chapter was a fantastic mix of humor, grit, and courage. Thank you for joining me and our listening audience.

Fail Smart: Lose to Learn the Gamified Way. Javier is a game and gamification designer with extensive experience creating innovative solutions that use play and gameful design to enhance learning, motivation, and engagement. His work has been recognized internationally with four GamiCon awards, including two for Best Overall Use of Gamification. As the creator of the BEM Gamification Framework, Javier also teaches in master’s programs and executive education courses, sharing his expertise in how meaningful game design can transform education and organizational learning.

Editors Monica Cornetti and Jonathan Peters discuss the anthology Gamechangers. Hear their vision for the book and why they chose these authors.

In this episode, we meet Pradeep U.N., a masterful weaver of narratives and gameplay, turning organizations into vibrant ecosystems where storytelling, gamification, and social learning converge to unlock a symphony of inclusion, innovation, and purpose. About Your Host: Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behaviors and achieve objectives. A gamification speaker and designer, Monica was repeatedly rated #1 among the “Gamification Gurus Power 100” by RISE from 2015-2020, and in 2021 and 2022 was recognized as #1 in the Most Influential Women in Gamification who have created a legitimate impact in the gamification industry. Monica is the President of Sententia, Inc. and leads the company’s education and design projects at Sententia Gamification. She is also the Gamemaster of GamiCon (annual international conferences for the gamification of learning). She is the author of the books Lipstick Lessons, What Were You Thinking?, Totall

My guest is Artrell Williams and our topic is Taiyazukuri – A Tire Manufacturing Card Game that teaches tire manufacturing processes and terminology, fostering understanding through descriptions. It imparts Sumitomo Rubber USA’s Mission, Vision, Values, and KPI impact on business. The deck serves multiple purposes, reinforcing key concepts for SRUSA staff to grasp the value stream, communicate discrepancies, and cut manufacturing waste costs. At the GamiCon event in NOLA in September, Artrell's project was awarded the People’s Choice Award for “Low-Tech Design" – that’s quite the accomplishment to win the hearts of your peers. Artrell Williams is a Presenter, Facilitator and Trainer with a passion for helping others grow and develop. Seeking additional opportunities for civic involvement. His areas of expertise include: Soft Skills Training, Sales and Sales Training, Customer Service Training, Coaching, Mentoring, and Humor. About Your Host:  Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organ

My guests are Jamie Phillips, Celia Sellers, and Rebecca Arnett, and our topic is Creating a Cyber Security Escape Room.  In this innovative Cyber Security Escape Room event, participants raced against time to thwart a hacker using social engineering, phishing, malware, and more. Designed for the curious, puzzle-loving, adventurous, and competitive, this team-based challenge involved solving 15 cybersecurity puzzles. It encouraged team building and social interaction, with participants either forming groups or being assigned to teams. Key game mechanics included achievement rewards like stickers and photos, advance priming through storytelling videos, communal discoveries, puzzle guessing, unlocking sequences, and strategic use of hints. The fastest team earned recognition and a certificate. The goal was to reinforce training on critical human risks in cybersecurity. Host: Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behaviors and

My guests are Jordan Dyson and Scott Provence and topic is their internationally award-winning project called Walk With Me. A wealth management firm was looking for ways to improve their organizational culture and address risks of declining client-service quality. Jordan and Scott created a two-step, game-based solution for this client: first, employees played a turn-based conversation game with an AI-powered chatbot that and then attended a live 50-minute debrief session where they learned about key empathetic behaviors, discussed their experiences. The program results showed double-digit improvement in evidence-based empathizing skills and participant mindset. Not only were employees exhibiting more empathetic behaviors in conversation, but their beliefs around their potential to enhance these abilities also saw measurable improvement over the course of the program. About Your Host: Monica Cornetti works with individuals and organizations like yours who want to learn how to think playfully to change behavio

In the case of the project that is the topic of today’s podcast, Jim Piechocki woke up a dreadfully dull IT classification process training with a post-apocalyptic superhero story he had pitched years ago to Marvel about The Technicals, an alien race that takes over and outsources Earth. The gameplay:  You must learn how to create a keyword class to rescue Amazon and save the planet. About our Guest: Jim is a member of a small but growing breed of ATD-licensed developers who start with the acting talent, the humor, the broadcast-quality imagery, and entertainment value. He worked as a gag-writer for comic Tim Allen in Detroit, who taught him how to pare down physical comedy and dialog for maximum impact. His writing teachers Harlan Ellison and Walter Hill (The Terminator, 48 Hours) drilled into him the importance of getting it right in the first draft. Working on staff for Filmation on the He-Man and The Masters of the Universe cartoon TV series, he learned the writer actually directs the animation. And

As part of a bigger effort to offer an asynchronous, summer faculty development program, the Center for Instructional Innovation at Augusta University developed a 2-part, 6-week program on Multimedia and Motivation in Student Learning. The first half of the program was a 3-week course on the Science of Motivation and Game-Based Learning. The course was NASCAR or stock car race themed with 68 faculty members being divided into “pit crews” of 5 members. Each week (lap) presented the Pit Crews with content and “driving missions” that supported broader learning objectives. About our Guest: Jeff Mastromonico has been teaching, developing multimedia, and working in instructional design in the higher ed space for over 20 years. He currently is the Director of the Center for Instructional Innovation at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia. He has a Masters of Education in Educational Technology from the University of South Carolina and a second-level certification in Gamification from Sententia. Lynsey

Paycor wanted an exciting experience to enhance their new hire program. Tracey created a wildly popular escape room game to review their day’s content and promote teamwork.  Her first version was an in-person pop-up escape room but when COVID hit, she had to pivot to rethink and redesign it to be a virtual escape room but preserve the most fun parts. About our Guest: Tracey Stokely is the principal instructional designer at Paycor in Cincinnati, Ohio. Paycor is an HR technology company that provides business leaders with the HCM software tools, expert advice, and responsive service so they can make a difference in their organizations. She specializes in eLearning design and development. Tracey’s learning and development experience includes the software, contact center, and electronics industries. Tracey is a member of the Learning Guild, won Best Mobile Solution at DemoFest at the 2019 DevLearn Conference, and has been a speaker at several conferences.

With the pandemic, facilitator-led corporate training was pushed to virtual platforms and many companies and freelances were not equipped to deliver experiential learning online. Gaminar.net is a platform that enables educators to deliver serious games involving business and soft skills simulations online providing a seamless experience both for Facilitators and Participants. Gaminar.net now has over 800 users who deliver their gaminars/simulations to their clients taking their virtual sessions to a higher level of engagement and training effectiveness. About our guest:  Fernando Mendes is a highly motivated and enthusiastic learning and development professional with over 20 years of experience in Organizational Development projects across Africa, North America, Europe, and the UAE. Passionate about learning, he is the author of the book Start IUPI, a manual for teachers and parents on how to leverage entrepreneurial skills using simple and pragmatic games and exercises. He is a trained standup com

Many GamiCon participants care about awards and would like to have the prestige that comes with winning an award. But how do you know if your gamified learning solution is award-worthy?  How do you articulate the value your solution(s) delivered to the organization? Can you describe the problem your training solution helped solve? Our panel of judges is also award-winning designers who will share their secret sauce for success with you!

How can you use a motivation driver’s perspective to test your game designs in a more integrative way?  Step 1:  Be aware of and consider the complexity of the mind of your user. What moves, excites, and challenges your players while they’re inside your system? Check the different qualities of how your player feels and thinks while playing. Playtest your prototypes so that you can iterate and make the best of your learners’ motivational drivers for your design!