We've all heard about war games in the field, but war games in the classroom? You bet. The military has been using "serious games" software for years to conduct additional training in a classroom context. But serious games are not just for soldiers anymore: here's a little more about them and how they are being used in ever-increasing numbers by a wide range of different types of businesses.
What are Serious Games?
Unlike what the name implies, serious games are definitely not toys: they are tools. Specially customized software games are designed for companies for specific training purposes. They are engaging and fun to play, but they have a serious goal: to help individual employees improve their cognitive skills and/or to help teams of employees develop team-building skills and unity of purpose.
How Are They Used in Non-Military Applications?
All types of businesses of every shape and size have found that customized serious games are an incredible resource for their HR departments. There is no one-size-fits-all in the industry: rather, every game is designed with the particular client's needs and goals in mind. Such games can also be used in civic contexts, for first-responder agencies, for universities, and many more.
Why Use Serious Games?
It is extremely expensive and even dangerous for a fire department or earthquake responders to simulate potential scenarios in real life. Serious games allow such agencies to conduct virtual training at a fraction of the cost. In business settings, serious games provide a new and engaging way to conduct training for employees who are weary of sitting through yet another Power Point presentation!
Serious games are serious training with a twist: they are valuable tools that are here to stay.
Our educational and training solutions include the design and development of serious games, game-supported leadership and team development seminars, and expert consulting services. For info please visit at Decisive-Point (http://www.decisive-point.com/). Jonathan Wickham is a freelance writer.
1 comments:
I looks like serious games can really help many different companies. Hopefully some companies don't take them too seriously and they can learn from it. Maybe serious games can help quality assurance companies.
www.totalqualityassuranceservices.com
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