What companies can learn from gaming: Impulses for Sales & Service
Digital games inspire millions of people - and they show how attention, motivation and solution-orientation are created. In this guest article, Arne Gels, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Director at Fusion Campus, explains why the gaming industry is a valuable role model for sales, service and customer experience. Mechanics such as storytelling, flow experiences and intuitive user guidance can help companies to communicate content more effectively and implement changes more quickly.
Why gaming is a role model for sales and service teams
New or changed circumstances present many people with challenges. A corresponding situation often puts them under tension and causes discomfort or even stress. A game, on the other hand, works through the conscious use of challenges, unexpected situations and the curiosity factor.
In Germany, over 37.5 million people play digital games in their free time. What can we learn from this contrast for the area of Sales & Service?
Changing media use: What companies need to learn from Generation Z
Media usage behaviour is changing noticeably - especially in Generation Z. The oversupply of media and information channels leads to shorter attention spans. The average attention span for social media posts is 1.2 seconds.
Gaming is one of the types of content that works very well despite the short attention spans - the "watched minutes" on Twitch, YouTube & Co prove this. In order to have a lasting effect, content today needs to be convincing and engaging.
Why gaming mechanisms also work in the corporate context
What applies to leisure time also applies to companies - especially when it comes to motivating employees or involving customers. The gaming industry has been a leader in attracting, activating and retaining target groups for years.
So the logical question is: how can gaming create added value in a business and service context?
Figures that show how relevant gaming is today
Gaming has long since left behind the cliché of the "gaming basement kids". Data from the game Bundesverband proves this:
E-sports also impress
Over 200 million people worldwide watched the live stream of the League of Legends World Final 2025, one of the classics among e-sports games, and the prize money was in the eight-figure range. The opening ceremony thus eclipsed many Olympic Games. Conclusion: e-sports is above all a spectator sport.
What makes games so attractive - and what does that mean for companies?
What is a game anyway?
A game is a set of rules that we voluntarily submit to in order to achieve an overarching goal. It is already clear here that the game combines many of the things that we demand of employees in the corporate context.
How gaming influences sales and service
Why first impressions are crucial in sales and service
In sales, the aim is to convince from the outset; in service, it's all about finding solutions.
Rules that you voluntarily submit to and goals that are set and to which the target group subordinates its actions - why does this work so well in gaming? You have to take a closer look at how a game works.
Onboarding in gaming - and what companies can learn from it
A game must be convincing from the very first moments, especially during onboarding.
If this doesn't work, there is a risk of losing players to other leisure activities, of which there are many.
In the first sequences - rarely more than three minutes:
This is the only way to create a trigger that motivates players to continue the positive experience and feel confirmed in their performance.
Motivation through early successes and clear reward systems
What has been achieved should remain.
At the beginning, games are therefore very simple - the focus is on rewarding players for their initial progress at short intervals.
This is followed by the transition to:
The flow state as a success model for motivation
The flow state describes a balanced relationship between overchallenge and underchallenge. Players react to changes in the game and look for creative solutions. Good games constantly maintain this balance.
In this way, players internalise the rules through active application and their own progress and quickly arrive at solution-oriented action.
You learn from your mistakes - always with the overarching goal in focus.
Parallels between onboarding in gaming and onboarding in the sales process
As in sales, a game usually only has one chance to impress: the first impression makes the difference.
Onboarding is therefore crucial:
Transferring gaming expertise to the corporate context
A transfer of mechanics from the gaming industry to the corporate context - with:
stimmigem Storytelling
involvierenden (Inter-)Aktionen
klarer Erkennbarkeit von Fortschritt und Mehrwert
intuitiver Nutzendenführung
Gamification as a tool: it's not the game that counts, but the added value
Companies should not introduce games because games are fun - but because games provide the mechanisms that positively influence behaviour.
Gamification means:
Applying game mechanics such as challenges, curiosity, feedback, rewards or storytelling to real processes in a targeted manner.
The aim: to improve motivation, skills development and user guidance.
1. Standortübergreifender Service
Bei der SMS-group treffen sich Service-Mitarbeitende und Kund*innen im digitalen Zwilling einer Anlage. Über Gaming-Technologie erfolgt der Support remote, schnell und anschaulich – ohne Reisen, ohne Zeitverlust. Das Ergebnis: höhere Effizienz, bessere Termintreue, mehr Kundenzufriedenheit.
2. Sales-Kompetenz stärken
Sales lebt von souveräner Argumentation. In gamifizierten Szenarien trainieren Teams in einem geschützten Raum Kundendialoge – inklusive „Fehler machen“ wie im Spiel. Schon Napoleon simulierte Schlachten, um Strategien vorzubereiten. Auch im Sales führt Perspektivwechsel zu besserer Taktik und mehr Sicherheit.
3. Prozesse digitalisieren
Games sind Meister der intuitiven Bedienbarkeit. Überträgt man dieses Denken auf digitale Sales- und Serviceprozesse, entsteht eine Nutzerführung, die Kund*innen schnell zu Lösungen bringt. Das steigert Effizienz, reduziert Supportaufwand und verbessert die Experience.
Conclusion
A look at the gaming industry is worthwhile in every respect - not to incorporate game offerings, but to create added value. Companies should define what goals they want to achieve and how gamification can help to realise them.
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