Team

We believe people learn better when they're actively involved

That's why we design learning experiences where people don't just receive information, but make their own choices, experience the consequences of their actions and get targeted feedback. By applying knowledge in a recognisable context, it's better understood, remembered and used when it matters.

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Knowledge doesn't happen automatically

We see the power of play in complex challenges every day

Preludens is made up of Daan Groen and Jan-Willem Manenschijn, complemented by specialists when a project calls for it. We combine expertise in storytelling, game design and learning & development to prepare teams for situations where knowledge and action come together.

We work in small, dedicated teams and keep the lines short. Clients work directly with the designers and developers who run the project. That lets us move quickly, ask critical questions and test ideas early.

Preludens makes complex knowledge playable, narrative and applicable. We translate learning goals into recognisable situations where people have to act themselves and experience what their choices mean. With MicroGames, storytelling and game principles we create learning experiences that spark curiosity, encourage active involvement and motivate people to keep learning. Knowledge isn't just transferred, but truly understood and used when it matters.

  • Involvement activates people.
  • Play and storytelling create that involvement.
  • As a result, people discover, choose, practise and process feedback.
  • That makes complex knowledge clearer, better remembered and applicable in practice.
Meet the team

Design and technology, in one focused team

Our background lies in serious games, MicroGames, storytelling, instructional design and technology. We bring those worlds together in experiences that don't just explain what matters, but let people practise what counts in the real world. Where Daan unravels learning problems and surfaces game mechanics, Jan-Willem translates ideas into clear, working experiences.

Daan Groen

Daan Groen

Founder and designer

Daan rarely settles for the first answer. He digs deeper for creative responses to process challenges, with game mechanics and win-win thinking as his compass. With more than fifteen years of experience in MicroGaming, he guides organisations that want to use play and story more thoughtfully for learning and change.

His strength lies in surfacing the game that's often already hidden in reality. Not by adding game elements on top, but by exploring the tension, choices and behavioural patterns already present. The result is a design that stays close to practice and invites people to learn actively.

Jan-Willem Manenschijn

Jan-Willem Manenschijn

Innovator and developer

Jan-Willem is an enthusiastic creative with a passion for education, technology and puzzles. He turns vague ideas into concrete prototypes and gets people moving, from escape rooms to serious games. At Preludens he builds the technology and design process behind narrative, interactive learning experiences.

His strength lies in connecting concept and execution. Where a learning idea is still abstract, he brings structure. Where an experience risks becoming technically complex, he looks for simplicity. That's how he turns passive e-learning into experiences where people actively discover, choose and practise.

Preludens makes game-based learning accessible to every organisation
Why we started Preludens

Game-based learning should be accessible to everyone

Our mission is to make game-based learning accessible to every organisation — large and small. Preludens grew from the conviction that learning should be more than transferring information. After years of experience with serious games, we saw how much stronger learning becomes when people can actively choose, practise and experience what their actions mean.

That's why we develop learning experiences that are affordable, scalable and tangible. Affordable, because we keep development costs manageable. Scalable, through modular solutions and short development cycles. Tangible, because clients understand what the product is, how it works and can deploy it without unnecessary technical barriers within their existing learning environment.

What we stand for

Four principles that guide every design

  • Robust A learning experience must inspire confidence. That's why we design solutions that feel logical, work reliably and are clear to the people learning with them. The technology should never get in the way of the experience.
  • Purposeful We make design choices not because they're fun, but because they contribute to learning. Every story, choice and MicroGame traces back to clear learning goals, desired behaviour and real-world application.
  • Accessible Complex knowledge doesn't have to feel complicated. We translate content into recognisable situations, clear choices and concrete feedback. People can discover, try and grow without getting lost.
  • Curious We don't just accept the first solution. We explore the practice, ask questions and look for the route that connects knowledge, behaviour and experience. We want to find that route together.
How we design learning experiences

Seven principles behind our design

These principles shape how Daan and Jan-Willem design together: sharp in content, solid in technology and always aimed at learning that becomes applicable.

  1. Use clear and achievable objectives

    Every successful design starts with a solid goal. Decide what you want to achieve, make sure it's attainable and set a way to measure progress. We turn well-defined learning goals into challenges for maximum intrinsic motivation.

  2. Balance knowledge with skill and luck

    Gameplay focuses on growing knowledge, and success comes from applying it. While skill and luck are part of gameplay, the player should strongly feel that progress is based on knowledge.

  3. Use mechanics drawn from reality

    Knowledge grows when you recognise and understand the context. The closer we stay to reality, the higher the retention. Recognisable mechanics also make the gameplay more accessible and understandable.

  4. Focus on positive, human emotions

    Intrinsic motivation only arises when the player is emotionally involved with the material. It's about the desire to learn and to finish and achieve — and that emotion doesn't even have to be tied directly to the learning goals.

  5. Make controls robust

    A training should be robust and as bug-free as possible. Interaction is logical and the player can get started right away without getting lost. Robust also means moving through the object at the right pace.

  6. Give clear feedback, without distraction

    Every action — right or wrong — is followed by immediate feedback, with no delay. The feedback is clear and to the point, so the player knows exactly what's expected now and in future.

  7. Always make the next step clear

    The player always knows what's expected, how to make progress and what they can do to improve it. The object feels logical and naturally gives a sense of accomplishment throughout the training.

Take the first step with a GameStorm

In a GameStorm we explore the problem, the audience and the desired change together. You get a concrete first direction, without committing to a full project.

Book a GameStorm