The big thing about playing video games used to be that they were the new golf, a novel way to hang with friends and business associates in order to maybe bond, collude, or even get some productive work done. But it’s not just about golf anymore: Aili McConnon from BusinessWeek just published an article about the intersection of work and gaming, and I’m here to tell you that video gaming is about work. I even landed a quote in there referencing the lessons to be had from playing MMOG’s:
The lessons learned in these games become increasingly useful as
companies become less command-and-control and more a series of
distributed networks around the world. The future of work
is here; it’s just disguised as a game.
The article also talks through some interesting game-related stories from McKinsey, J&J, and Philips, and also has a great insight from my Stanford d.school partner in crime Bob Sutton.
I really do think that you can learn a lot about where this whole Web 2.0 thing is going by playing games online. Learning by doing, serious play, and all that.
Diego,
The BusinessWeek article says I am “looking into” teaching a course using World of Warcraft as place to try out organizational prototypes. I guess that is right, but note that nearly all of that “looking into” has been me saying to you “So, Diego, how would we teach course like that?”
Cool post.