According to a new study by IBM, some multiplayer games teach skills needed to manage a modern multinational corporation.
The computer giant hired software maker Seriosity to watch people play hundreds of hours of games where leadership is required. IBM also surveyed more than 200 players among its own managers.
The finding: Those immersed in online worlds linking millions of participants, such as World of Warcraft, get good at gathering information from far-flung sources, assessing risk, and moving quickly to the next challenge. IBM says the study shows such games could be "management flight simulators" for those trying to lead global teams.
IBM has good reason to stress the positives of online gaming. It has been fashioning itself as the go-to consultant for businesses considering using games, with more than 250 clients. This fall, it will launch its own game for companies, Innov8, which lets players test their hand at business management tasks...like redesigning a call center.
Source: BusinessWeek, June 25, 2007
