1 Recognise the situation
The participant meets a character, a workplace or a recognisable problem from practice. The story gives context and sparks curiosity.
Services
MicroGame Stories: make complex knowledge playable
Interactive e-learning in which storytelling and MicroGames come together.
You want to pass important knowledge on to your employees. Knowledge they need to understand, remember and apply when it matters.
With MicroGame Stories, Preludens turns that knowledge into an active learning experience. We combine short, visual stories with focused forms of play in which participants make choices and get direct feedback themselves.
Online learning then becomes a learning route in which people develop new knowledge and skills step by step.
From knowledge transfer to active learning
In many organisations, important knowledge is already available. Handbooks, work instructions and existing e-learning modules describe exactly what employees need to know.
Available information does not automatically mean people can apply that knowledge. An employee can know a procedure and still struggle to carry it out in an unexpected situation. Or understand a technical explanation without recognising the key principles when they are needed in practice.
That is the challenge in many forms of online learning. The content is right, but the participant gets little chance to practise with it actively.
Knowledge only gains meaning when people understand what they need it for and can work with it. That is why we develop MicroGame Stories: short, visual learning experiences in which knowledge is connected to recognisable situations, concrete challenges and direct feedback.
What are MicroGame Stories?
A MicroGame Story connects a recognisable story, the knowledge needed at that moment, and a short form of play to practise that knowledge.
MicroGame Stories are short, interactive online training programmes that combine storytelling and game-based learning.
The participant follows a visual story around a recognisable work situation. Inside that story a problem arises that needs specific knowledge. That knowledge is then offered and actively practised in a MicroGame: a short form of play aimed at a concrete learning goal.
The participant makes choices, carries out tasks and gets direct feedback. After the MicroGame the story continues. It becomes clear why the knowledge matters and how it can be applied in practice.
The result is a learning experience in which story, knowledge and play strengthen each other. MicroGame Stories are meant to train basic knowledge actively and make it stick. For difficult trade-offs without one right answer, we use Dilemma Storytelling.
- Storytelling gives context A recognisable story makes clear where the knowledge is needed and which problem it solves.
- MicroGames create practice Short, focused challenges let participants recognise and apply knowledge. They learn by doing something themselves.
- Feedback and repetition Participants discover why a choice works or does not, and get room to improve their approach.
How does a MicroGame Story work?
A MicroGame Story takes the participant along a recognisable learning route, in which the knowledge gains meaning step by step.
2 Discover the challenge
Inside the story a problem arises that calls for knowledge or a skill. The participant discovers what is at stake.
3 Explore the knowledge that is needed
The material is offered at the moment it is relevant. Information immediately gains meaning inside the situation.
4 Practise with a MicroGame
The participant gets to work. For example by recognising parts or ordering a process.
5 Receive feedback and try again
The participant sees what is going well and where improvement is possible. Feedback explains why a choice works or does not.
6 Close and reflect
The participant returns to the story. What did you learn, why does it matter, and how do you use that knowledge in a similar situation?
Why choose MicroGame Stories?
MicroGame Stories are designed to make the step from information to usable knowledge smaller.
- More engagement with the material A recognisable story and a concrete challenge give participants a reason to work actively with the knowledge. They have to make choices and carry out tasks themselves.
- Better understanding through recognisable context Knowledge is linked to situations in which employees will need it later. It becomes clear why rules and ways of working matter.
- Room to practise safely A MicroGame is an environment in which participants may make mistakes. Through feedback and repetition they improve their approach without consequences for daily practice.
- Short, focused learning activities MicroGame Stories are built around concrete learning goals. Participants work step by step on specific topics and skills.
Which learning challenges suit MicroGame Stories?
MicroGame Stories fit when you want to pass on important basic knowledge and let employees practise applying it.
- Technical knowledge and professional skills Participants explore processes and apply knowledge in visual tasks.
- Safety and procedures Employees practise recognising risks and applying procedures in recognisable situations.
- Onboarding New employees discover processes, agreements and ways of working through situations from the organisation.
- Laws and regulations Complex rules become concrete tasks: when does a rule apply, and how do you use it?
- Processes and work instructions Participants practise process steps, responsibilities and common mistakes.
- Refreshing and repeating knowledge Short MicroGames activate previously learned knowledge again, with variation and focused feedback.
From practice
Basic refrigeration technology
How do you make complex technical knowledge accessible for professionals who have to apply the theory in their daily work? That challenge was central to the Basic Refrigeration Technology project (BRL200).
Together with Climatools BV, 21CC Education and Studium, Preludens developed a series of interactive MicroGames around basic refrigeration knowledge. Topics such as the mechanical cooling process, superheating, subcooling and the h-log-P diagram can stay abstract when they are offered only through text or explanation.
With short, visual tasks, participants explore technical processes, recognise connections and apply concepts. We also developed a game framework that can make progress, performance and learning activity visible.
The project shows how MicroGames turn complex professional knowledge into focused, interactive learning activities. We made a full MicroGame Story, with a comic and five MicroGames, for onITnow around the story of Maria.
How do we develop a MicroGame Story?
We start with the knowledge that matters, the people who need to learn it and the situations in which that knowledge is used. A game idea comes after that.
1 We map the learning challenge
What do participants need to know, which skills should they develop, and which problems do they meet in practice? Together we explore the audience and the learning needs.
2 We formulate concrete learning goals
We make clear what participants should be able to recognise, understand, choose or apply.
3 We develop a recognisable storyline
The participant gets a recognisable situation, discovers a problem and gets a reason to use the material.
4 We design fitting MicroGames
For each learning goal we choose a game mechanism that fits the learning activity: recognise, order, combine, judge or apply. Including feedback and repetition.
5 We develop and test
We bring story, design, knowledge and interaction together and improve the experience where that is needed.
6 We deliver the MicroGame Story
The learning experience becomes available through an existing learning environment or through Prepo, so it stays manageable and can keep growing.
MicroGame Stories inside your existing e-learning
You do not have to develop a completely new learning programme straight away to use game-based learning. Many organisations already have lesson material, existing e-learning and clear learning goals. That content is often a good starting point.
Preludens helps turn existing knowledge into recognisable stories, short challenges and focused game mechanisms. An existing module can be extended with a MicroGame. Or one chapter becomes a MicroGame Story in which participants actively practise the most important knowledge.
Game-based learning then becomes an addition to existing e-learning. Our mission is to make this way of learning accessible for organisations that want to strengthen their online training.
Easy to offer and manage via Prepo
A good learning experience is pleasant to use and stays easy to make available. That is why we help with the distribution and management of MicroGames and Stories.
Through Prepo, the Preludens Portal, organisations can manage learning experiences, collect feedback, keep versions and see use and progress. MicroGames and Stories can also be offered through an existing learning environment.
For new MicroGames and Stories, three months of access to Prepo is included. After delivery there is room to follow the learning experience and improve it where needed.
Start small with one MicroGame Story
Game-based learning does not have to start with a large development programme. Sometimes one recognisable situation and one concrete learning goal are enough to explore the possibilities.
That is why you can also start at Preludens with one chapter of a MicroGame Story. Together we choose a bounded topic, develop a visual story and add a focused MicroGame in which participants actively practise the knowledge.
You then have a first concrete learning experience. With it you discover how storytelling and principles of play fit your content and audience, and you decide whether and how you want to build further.
Frequently asked questions about MicroGame Stories
What is the difference between a MicroGame and a MicroGame Story?
A MicroGame is a short, focused form of play in which participants practise a concrete learning goal.
A MicroGame Story combines one or more MicroGames with a visual story. The story gives the knowledge context, while the MicroGames provide active application, feedback and repetition.
What is the difference between MicroGame Stories and traditional e-learning?
Traditional e-learning often focuses on offering information through text, image, video and tests.
MicroGame Stories add a narrative context and active forms of play. Participants practise the knowledge inside recognisable situations.
Are MicroGame Stories the same as serious games?
MicroGame Stories use principles from serious gaming, but they are built to be more compact and more focused. Instead of one extensive game environment, we work with short stories and MicroGames around specific learning goals.
That means they can connect well to existing e-learning and smaller learning challenges.
Can we use existing lesson materials?
Yes. Existing documents, presentations, work instructions and e-learning modules can serve as the content base. We look at which knowledge matters and turn it into fitting stories, challenges and interactions.
Can MicroGame Stories be used in our own LMS?
Yes, depending on what the learning environment allows technically. Preludens can prepare learning experiences for an existing LMS or make them available through Prepo.
What does it cost to develop a MicroGame Story?
The cost depends on the size of the learning content, the number of learning goals, the interactions you want and the design. We work with short, focused learning experiences and the option to start small.
How long does it take to develop a MicroGame Story?
That depends on size and complexity. For a bounded first chapter we take a development period of about one month as a starting point. A larger learning route needs a plan that fits the content and the number of MicroGames.
Which organisations suit MicroGame Stories?
Organisations that want to pass important knowledge on to employees, students or other audiences. Especially when that knowledge is complex, needs to be repeated, or has to be applied in recognisable work situations.
MicroGame Stories
Make your knowledge playable
Do you have important knowledge that employees need to understand, remember or apply better? With MicroGame Stories we turn that content into an active learning experience in which storytelling and MicroGames come together.
You do not yet need to know exactly what that learning experience should look like. In a GameStorm we explore the learning challenge and the learning goals, and we look for a first direction.