G’Bye 2025

I don’t usually write opinion pieces.

Most of the time, I stay focused on the work. Design. Data. What’s changing inside learning and development, and how we respond in ways that actually help people do their jobs better.

But 2025 has not been a neutral year. Pretending otherwise would miss the moment entirely.

For many people in our community, this year has been heavy. Layoffs landed fast and without warning. Teams disappeared overnight. Long-standing programs and contracts that supported meaningful, mission-driven work were reduced or eliminated. Experienced professionals suddenly found themselves questioning their value while being asked to do more with fewer resources than ever before.

And that’s before you factor in the rest of life.

Costs keep climbing. Health care feels out of reach for too many. Groceries cost more every single week. Families are making impossible tradeoffs, deciding which bills can wait and which cannot. A lot of people are carrying stress quietly, trying to stay professional while feeling stretched thin.

This hasn’t been theoretical. It’s been personal.

One moment that still stops me cold is the quiet removal of programs like MIMM.gov. This was a thoughtfully designed, evidence-based gamification program that delivered real value to enlisted service members and their families. It worked. It was human-centered. It mattered. And it was erased anyway, without context or care for the people it served.

When things like that disappear, it is not just about budgets or policy shifts. It is about losing proven solutions in moments when people need them most.

So no, this hasn’t been a neat or easy year to wrap up with a bow.

But here’s what I do know.

The learning and L&D community has always been resilient. We are builders. We help organizations adapt, change behavior, and move forward when conditions are uncertain. Right now, many of us are doing that work while personally feeling the strain ourselves.

That reality has shaped the decisions we’ve made at Sententia.

We are a business, and there is still a bottom line. But we are also part of this community, and we are paying attention.

That’s why we lowered the price of GamiCon48V.
That’s why we created easy pay options.
That’s why Game Garage became free in December and will remain open into early 2026.

Not because things are easy. Because they are hard.

Upskilling right now is not a luxury. It is a way to stay relevant, capable, and employable in a world that keeps shifting. Learning how to design training that actually changes behavior matters. Understanding how to work alongside AI instead of being replaced by it matters. Knowing how to do more with less, without burning people out, matters.

Gamification and game-based learning are not about fun for fun’s sake. They are about engagement when attention is scarce, practice when mistakes are costly, and motivation when morale is low. These are tools for navigating exactly this kind of moment.

As we say goodbye to 2025, we’re also opening the door to what’s next.

To make it easier to step forward, we’re offering 20% off SITEWIDE on all courses, certifications, and events across the site. No exclusions. No fine print. Just use code SEN20.

If 2025 knocked the wind out of you, you’re not alone. If you’re unsure about what comes next, that makes sense. And if you’re investing in skills and community right now, that instinct is a smart one.

We need real support, real skills, and real connection. That’s the work we’re committed to doing, even in years like this, and especially because of them.

G’Bye 2025.
We’re ready for what’s next.

Because some things should stay in 2025. Use SEN20 for 20% off before January 1.