When documents are not enough for onboarding
First Run is a customizable onboarding RPG that helps new hires and project members learn through real workplace scenarios.
Turn passive onboarding documents into interactive decision-making quests.
Onboarding is harder than most teams expect
Onboarding is not just about sharing company documents. It is the process of helping new members understand how the company works, how projects move, and how decisions are made in their role.
Yet many teams still rely on documents, verbal explanations, and repeated meetings. Gallup reports that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees. SHRM notes that only 29% of new hires felt prepared and supported to excel in their new role.
This is not just an HR problem. It affects team productivity, project ramp-up speed, and early engagement. First Run approaches onboarding as something new members should experience, not just read.
Repeated explanations
Teams explain the same company and project context again and again.
Documents that go unread
Training materials exist, but they are often hard to finish or remember.
Slow ramp-up
New members may not know how to act until they face real situations.
Role-specific standards
Developers, PMOs, planners, designers, and publishers all need different onboarding paths.
Why scenario-based quests can work
Game-based onboarding is not about adding points and badges to a training document. The real value comes from turning workplace situations into scenarios where new members make decisions.
First Run turns realistic work situations into NPC quests. A player might decide how to report a schedule delay, how to handle a scope change, or what to do when a critical defect is found before launch.
This makes onboarding more practical than passive reading. Instead of memorizing rules, new members practice making decisions in context.
Scenario-based quests
Turn workplace situations into NPC quests.
Role-based paths
Provide different learning paths for each role.
Choices and feedback
Let users make decisions and learn from outcomes.
Custom production
Build an onboarding game around your company or project.
Not just points and badges
First Run is not about turning documents into simple quizzes. It is designed around real workflows, role expectations, and common project situations.
The important question is not only “What score did the player get?” It is “What decision did the player make in a realistic work scenario?” Through choices and feedback, new members learn how work actually happens.
Custom-built for your onboarding problem
Every team struggles with onboarding in a different way. Some teams need to train new hires. Some need to prepare people before they join a project. Others need to explain the same workflow repeatedly to vendors or partners.
First Run can be customized around your company, project, and training goals.
📋 Customizable Elements
- ■ Company and brand universe
- ■ Project background and workflow
- ■ Role-based quests & real workplace scenarios
- ■ NPC characters and dialogue
- ■ Difficulty and level progression
- ■ Completion criteria and result reports
- ■ Quest design based on internal training materials
Ready to turn your onboarding into a game?
If your team repeats new hire training, project briefings, or partner onboarding, First Run can be customized into an onboarding RPG for your organization.
Research Notes
First Run’s problem framing is informed by public research on employee onboarding and game-based learning.
- Gallup. Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention— Only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job onboarding new employees.
- SHRM. Complete Employee Onboarding Guide— Only 29% of new hires felt prepared and supported to excel in their new role.
- Wouters, P., van Nimwegen, C., van Oostendorp, H., & van der Spek, E. D. (2013). A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 249–265— A meta-analysis of how serious games affect learning and retention.
- Tonhão, S., Shigenaga, M., Herculani, J., Medeiros, A., Amaral, A., Silva, W., Colanzi, T., & Steinmacher, I. (2023). Gamification in Software Engineering Education: a Tertiary Study. Proceedings of the XXXVII Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering (SBES), 358–367— A tertiary study reviewing research on gamification in software engineering education.
- Jääskä, E., & Aaltonen, K. (2022). Teachers' experiences of using game-based learning methods in project management higher education. Project Leadership and Society, 3, 100041— A study of teachers' experiences using game-based learning in project management education.