Securing Implicit Experiential Knowledge with Applied Games in Industry 4.0

Abstract

The ongoing digitalization processes in the industrial context, within the framework of Industry 4.0, enable more efficient and innovative working conditions. However, the framework of Industry 4.0 comes with manifold challenges and demands, including new skills, competencies and knowledge assurance. Applied games can be used as such a training tool, as they can facilitate learning processes by allowing workers to experience real-world problems in a safe environment. For successful game design and implementation in the industrial sector, it is important to understand how applied games contribute to the demands of Industry 4.0. In order to explore the current state of the usage of applied games in the industrial context, a structured literature review was conducted. The results show that in this context, applied games are mostly designed as a digital singleplayer game used for education purposes and played by students or operators. Furthermore, the main goal of these applied games was the acquisition of procedural skill or declarative knowledge. Especially implicit experiential knowledge is an important asset in the industrial context. The transfer of this knowledge from experienced to unexperienced workers is only possible through practical involvement. Applied games can make an important contribution to this, and are thus able to address several difficulties in the ongoing digitalization and in Industry 4.0. To ensure effective game design and the use of applied games in future, research will have to focus on the evaluation of applied games and validate their benefits in a quantifiable manner.