VIDEO GAMES PLAY AT WORK
They are called video games, but for a growing number of companies they are used for serious business. What began more than 30 years ago as a source of youthful entertainment has now become a useful tool found in workplaces around the world. Today, businesses ranging from automobile manufacturers to financial services companies to beverage producers employ video games to recruit new staff, educate employees, better serve their customers' needs, and market their products to a tech-savvy public.
According to the results of a survey recently released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), games are a growing method of employee training. The survey focused on corporate and non-profit training methods and revealed that 70 percent of businesses currently offer interactive computer training that could include game-like simulations, and that 78 percent of organizations not using this technology are likely to offer it within the next five years. Moreover, 75 percent of organizations already offering this technology plan to expand their usage in the next three to five years.
The survey indicated the top uses of video game training are: compliance training; training for specific job functions; IT training; management training and customer service training. Seventy-seven percent of the trainings used tested players knowledge and 55 percent included interactive role playing.
Respondents said advantages of video game training over traditional methods are a reduction in costs, more efficient and faster training, the ability to apply consistent training across all parts of an organization, the ease of measuring employee participation, and better information retention.
The use of video games as a training tool has led to the creation of new companies to serve this growing demand. Marc Prensky founded Games2Train.com, where he has created more than 100 software titles for companies such as American Express, Bank of America, Charles Schwab & Co., Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., IBM, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Nokia Corporation, and Pfizer Inc. Stanford University education professor Dr. Byron Reeves founded Seriosity, which applies "game elements" to the human resource issues of Fortune 500 companies.
VIDEO GAME VOTERS NETWORK REACHES NEW MILESTONE
The ESA recently announced that the Video Game Voters Network (VGVN), the organization's grassroots network, has enrolled 150,000 members. The VGVN is a coalition of voting-aged gamers, formed by the ESA to educate and mobilize the gamer community to engage in political activities. VGVN members defend their choice of entertainment from unnecessary government regulation, by reaching out to elected officials and making their voices heard.
"Just as the computer and video game industry has evolved from a niche market into a mass medium; the VGVN has grown from a small group into a robust and politically active grassroots network." said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA.
The VGVN opposes efforts to regulate the content of games and treat their entertainment choice differently than movies, music, books, and other Constitutionally-protected media. The organization's members believe that parental education, not government regulation, is the way to ensure children only have access to age-appropriate games.
Since its creation in 2006, VGVN members have generated thousands of letters to elected officials in support of equal protection under the First Amendment for the computer and video games they enjoy. Recently, the organization scored key a victory in Massachusetts, where the legislature tabled a measure that would have criminalized the sale of certain video games.
"As the presidential elections approach this fall, we are planning to grow the organization and make sure the gaming community actively participates in the political process and ensures their rights are protected."
The VGVN enables gamers to stay updated on game industry issues, register to vote, and to take action by contacting federal, state, and local officials to express their views. For more information or to joint the VGVN please visit www.VideoGameVoters.org.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR TAKES OUR COURTS TO THE GAME ROOM
The fifth annual Games for Change conference, recently held at Parsons The New School for Design, concluded with a keynote address by the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor. Justice O'Connor, not a traditional speaker at a gaming event, discussed her plans for an online, interactive civic education project that uses the educational power of video games to educate 7th through 9th-graders about civics.
According to O'Connor, the game, called, Our Courts, will "allow students to engage in real legal issues." The project has two initiatives; the first allows the video game to be used by children for academic purposes, to either directly supplement existing courses or as a distinct unit to a civics curriculum. The second initiative, more extracurricular in focus, is geared to children as well as ‘tweens', and encourages them to play the game during their free time.
The game was developed with Georgetown University's law school, Arizona State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor James Paul Gee. Dr. Gee recently concluded that video games intermix instruction and demonstration, a more effective learning technique than the "memorize-and-regurgitate style" found in most classrooms.
Our Courts, will begin rolling out in September 2009. O'Connor conveyed her hopes that the game will help teach government and civic lessons in a way that's engaging and relevant to students. According to O'Connor, the game will allow children to "step into the shoes of a judge, a legislator, an executive- teach them how to think through and analyze problems, take action and voice opinions to their elected representatives." |
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Quote of the Month
"We will have them arguing real cases, real issues, against the computer and against each other. We will use what we know about young people's enthusiasm for arguing things, for problem-solving and for playing games to get them into this world."
— Sandra Day O'Connor at the 2008 Games for Change conference
Statistic of the Month
The Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) has more than 150,000 members. There are VGVN members from every U.S. state and territory.
Did You KNOW??
The New York City Police Department is considering taking a page from the gaming industry after RAND Corp's recommendation that the NYPD adopt new training software that simulates virtual crimes and tests officers responses to dangerous and hostile scenarios.
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