Serious Games-take One For The Team

I remember when the first video games came out

. Up until then, the only arcade style game commonly seen was pinball. Them suddenly we were flooded with space battle simulations. They were all very simplistic, but we were learning basic target strategy. To hit the little space ships or flying rocks, you had to hit the button at the right time, judging for distance and movement. Once you had that down, you were pretty sure to get a high score.

Soon thereafter, it became possible to "play doubles." The arcade game companies saw a lot of kids standing around, waiting for their favorite games to become available while some other kid worked away on the bad guys. By adding a doubles feature, arcades could now double their profits, and the players began to work in teams. Whether it was jousting flying ostriches or shooting more alien bad guys, the concept of teamwork was being employed. Higher scores, more coins, and hopefully a lot more fun.

As the games evolved, whole groups of people could be sent together on quests, each with a different role in vanquishing dragons, finding treasure, and freeing hostages. These were becoming very serious games, and to keep the cash flowing, you even had a grace period after your death on the screen so you could put more money in and resume the battle. With the advent of better home computers, networking, and high-speed internet, serious gamers moved away from arcades to realistic combat simulations. Even now, there are hundred of thousands of people worldwide, solving problems, facing enemies, and building empires in virtual environments.

The military and corporations have been very aware of these trends, and serious games have been developed to enhance all types of skills, build teamwork, and train for events in the real world. Serious games require a lot less time and money than real-world training situations, and let's face it, no one has ever been fatally injured defusing a bomb in a computer simulation. The exact same controls that might be used in the real situation can be wired into the game, and virtual tanks and airplanes don't use fuel and don't require maintenance and repair.

Serious games are the fastest and most economical way to train an individual or a team. Whether you are a company, an army, or an individual seeking to improve relative skills, serious games are the way to go.

by: Art Gib

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