WSJ Online Interview with Luke Hohmann on Serious Games
Questions for Luke Hohmann on ‘Serious’ Games
By Carrie Porter, Wall Street Journal
9 July 09. Full article here, excerpts below…
“Videogames often get criticized as a waste of time, but tech companies are using them to solve complex business problems. So-called “serious” games can help businesses understand what their customers need, spark ideas and make key product decisions. One company developing them is Enthiosys, a product consulting firm based in Mountain View, Calif. Its founder and chief executive, Luke Hohmann, recently led a workshop in Chicago for intellectual-property strategists from Microsoft, General Electric, AT&T, Accenture and other companies.
Mr. Hohmann, who’s also the author of “Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play,” fielded questions on how serious games work and what businesses can get out of them.
The Wall Street Journal: What are serious games?
Mr. Hohmann: They are games, just like Scrabble or Risk, which product companies use to answer questions about their product lines. People play games to solve problems in a collaborative fashion, and we learn what customers want from the way they play. When people are absorbed in play, they use more of their brains than when they perform simple analytical tasks. Cognitive scientists have studied the brainwaves of 8-year-olds playing with Legos and discovered as much. We use the open-ended exploration games to find solutions within an organized framework.
WSJ: Why are these games important today?
Mr. Hohmann: Society is changing, and leadership structures are shifting. The command-and-control business structure is fading, and if you look at the next generation, you see a flattening hierarchy. Elements of a person’s personal life carry into professional life…”
06 Aug 2009 | Source:
