Scene type · Judgement

The dilemma scene: when no answer is the right one

The hardest decisions aren't between right and wrong, but between two right things in conflict: loyalty and compliance, the customer and the team, speed and safety. The dilemma scene puts learners in front of that kind of choice, and doesn't tell them they're right.

3 min read Updated Trains Judgement
The dilemma scene: when no answer is the right one

Screenshots show the French version of the player: scenarios are currently generated in French. The platform interface itself is available in English.

In short

A dilemma scene offers three or four options that all have a cost. It awards no points: no option is “the right one”. Each choice has marked effects on the scenario's gauges, which the learner sees immediately, and steers the rest of the story. Immersio's engine places at least one from intermediate level.

At a glance

What the learner does
Trades off options that all have a cost.
Options
3 or 4, with no right answer.
Measured
No points; only the effects on the gauges.
In the engine
At least one from intermediate level.
Editable by hand
Yes, in the studio editor.

Why put a dilemma in a serious game?

Because that's where professional judgement is formed. Multiple choice trains learners to recognise the best action; a dilemma trains them to choose what they are willing to lose, and to be able to explain it. It's the “evaluate” level of Bloom's taxonomy: weighing conflicting criteria and taking a position.

Three doors, no easy way out: alert management, go to the audit committee, or protect yourself.
Three doors, no easy way out: alert management, go to the audit committee, or protect yourself.

The absence of a grade changes the learner's stance. They stop trying to guess what the trainer expects and reason about consequences. The gauges then show them what their trade-off cost and gained, without any value judgement.

How does the learner measure the consequences of a trade-off?

Through the gauges. After the choice, each one moves, often in opposite directions: what protects compliance can weaken the organisation's stability, what saves the relationship can cost integrity. The feedback text describes what happens next, and the rest of the scenario follows from it.

After the trade-off: each gauge reacts, some go up, others go down.
After the trade-off: each gauge reacts, some go up, others go down.
Another dilemma, at a football club: save the wages or the stadium's future.
Another dilemma, at a football club: save the wages or the stadium's future.

How do you write a good dilemma?

  1. Set two legitimate values against each other, not a value against misconduct. If an option is simply dishonest, it isn't a dilemma.
  2. Make each cost concrete: who suffers, when, and how much.
  3. Keep the options realistic: ones that real professionals have actually taken in a comparable situation.
  4. Plan time for discussion in blended training: a dilemma is an excellent starting point for a group debate.
A dilemma on a phone.
A dilemma on a phone.
On mobile

Dilemmas work particularly well in the classroom: the trainer projects the scene, the group debates, then votes for an option. Everyone can then replay alone on their phone and compare the consequences of a different trade-off.

What the dilemma doesn't do

It doesn't check knowledge and doesn't feed the score: a scenario made only of dilemmas would say nothing about mastery of the rules. Combine it with consequence-based multiple choice, which checks that the basics are in place, and an open question to have the trade-off justified.

Frequently asked questions

Does a dilemma count towards the score?

No. All its options are worth 0 points: only the consequence on the gauges counts. The scenario score measures mastery of decisions that have a better answer; the dilemma measures something else.

At what level should dilemmas be used?

From intermediate level, where Immersio's engine places at least one. At beginner level, it's better to anchor the rules first with multiple choice; you can still require a dilemma in custom mode.

Can a multiple-choice scene be turned into a dilemma in the editor?

Yes. In the studio editor, a scene's type can be switched between narrative, multiple choice and dilemma, and each option can be edited.

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Read next

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