A TRAINING company has put money into a chart-topping computer gaming studio in a bid to harness its work to the power of gaming.

Unicorn Training, which specialises in training for the financial services industry, says it has invested ‘significantly’ in fellow Bournemouth business Amuzo.

The two companies aim to bring Amuzo’s experience in cross-platform and mobile gaming to bear on potentially dry areas as mandatory compliance training. They will also take online Unicorn’s face-to-face business simulations, making them more readily available in the workplace or on the move.

Unicorn’s CEO Peter Phillips, inset, who co-founded the company from his brother’s spare room in 1988, said: “We have always been committed to action learning. By investing in a leading games company, we are demonstrating that we are serious about serious games.

“Amuzo are world class game developers and publishers with priceless experience of creating and developing some of the most iconic games of the last 15 years. Their creativity, skills and knowledge complement our own proven track record in creating learning that gets results.”

Unicorn says games and ‘gamification’ are the fastest-growth areas in learning and development, as firms seek to harness game qualities such as problem-solving, in-play feedback, rewards and leaderboards to bring about effective learning and changes in behaviour and culture.

Mike Hawkyard, managing director of Amuzo MD, said: “Amuzo has a proven track record in producing amazing games across many platforms.

“This partnership is a tremendous opportunity to combine both companies’ core skills to enhance the learning experience.”

Unicorn produced its first computer-based training on floppy disks in 1989.

It was named Outstanding Learning Organisation at the eLearning Awards in 2013, its 25th anniversary year.