Can Computer Gamers Change/Save The World?

Can Gamers change the world? At least Jane McGonigal thinks so. Jane is a researcher at the Institute of Future in Palo Alto, and a out of the box thinker when it comes to game designing. Her research work is on how games and gamers can change the world or more importantly solve the problems of the world. Here is a presentation below of a talk she gave at TED recently and my comments below.



Though some of you may think the ideas expressed by Jane may be quite extreme or way out there, I have reasons to back her up. First of all I owe Jane for allowing me to quote and use her references on some of the papers I have written on game theory and optimization for my graduate course work. But apart from that Jane has more than a point the prove and now a platform to express after talking at TED. If I made the claim two decades ago that computer gamers would be flying the next generation of fighter planes, it would have sounded outrageous. But today not so, the droids that are flown over Iraq are hand controlled from a base in Nevada. Apart from destructive missions as Jane expresses Gamers may be the next generation of leaders, they have fought epic battles, solved world problems, have extreme ability to focus, concentrate, build teams and execute missions to bring an Epic win to a possibility

My friends Pat and Bob are big WOW (world of warcraft) gamers and I used to think what a waste of time and money but after hearing Jane the attitude has changed. Skill sets may be developed in varied ways but with games a special set of skills are developed subconsciously. Epic games are more fascinating because there is a larger story involved, you are part of the larger story and though your career and level is advancing, there is a community, there is a team and there is a tribe that depends on you and you are depending on them to achieve the larger objective. What I just said also has spiritual implications which I will talk on my faith blog some time later.

But from management perspective you are getting my point. Rock on Gamers! Be the change agents you are called to.

Cheers,

Sam Kurien.