A group of university students in Germany recently worked with the Recall InfoLink team to create a video game of the recall process. The project fulfilled the requirements for the students’ final exam, topping off a strenuous term of video game creation. 

“The development began as part of our final exams, but this game has always meant more than that for us since we know the real-life impact it will make for those associated with Recall InfoLink,” said the students in a post-project interview. 

The four students, Christina Koch, Mark Ritter, Sari Qasem, and Isabel Weinand, approached the Recall InfoLink team with the idea after identifying the recall process as a good fit for gamification. Gamifying for training purposes is a popular way of increasing engagement in learning. It applies typical elements of games such as point scoring, competition with others, and rules of play to make the training process more fun and memorable, and often more effective as a result. 

The student team participated in a series of meetings with Recall InfoLink to better understand the recall process and the unique training needs it requires, and then set to work on the creative development. According to the students, the game aims to teach confidence in the recall process through the Recall InfoLink system with a light-hearted, fun experience in a spacey sci-fi setting.

The design incorporates elements of the Recall InfoLink brand and includes a main character in charge of recalls at a warehouse. The player is joined by a side-kick, a dusty AI bot, to complete a series of tasks. Throughout these tasks, the player learns the steps needed to correctly gather and communicate all required information for a product recall – winning the game results in a complete recall report that would satisfy even the most strict regulatory agency in the alien world of the game setting.  

“We are glad for this opportunity to make an impact outside of our studies because that is where we aim to end up later in the job market of the gaming industry,” said the team. 

For Recall InfoLink, impact is an appropriate way to describe the game. “Anything that brings clarity, simplicity, and a sense of confidence to the recall process is of great value to the industry,” said Roger Hancock, president and CEO of Recall InfoLink. “If it also adds fun to something that people think of as anything but fun, what more could you ask for? It was a great experience working with these students – they produced a game that is meaningful beyond a school project.” 

The game remains in post-production but use within Recall InfoLink as part of its service package is in the plans for the near future.