From GTA Vice City, Road Rash, Hangaroo to Candy Crush, Pokemon Go, Dota- the 90s kids-cum-gamers always had a feast on new games launched regularly in the market. Even after growing in to their 20s these games have stayed in their (even I am one of them) daily routine. At first there were only offline computer games. Now, with cheap internet rates online gaming on smartphones is the new trend. Parents have never approved about their children’s ‘addiction’ towards these virtual realities. While it’s true that anything beyond the normal limit is unhealthy, one cannot deny that gamification has its own share of positives. better hand eye co-ordination and improved responses and reflexes are just a few to state.
Changing times ask for better games. Nowadays, game designers are focusing on the benefits of gamification and gaming, enhancing them to use them as tools of education. Tucker Marion, a business professor at Northeastern University, is building the type of tools needed to make this transformation possible. Along with Babson College professor Sebastian Fixson, Marion is working to create a game. The game consists of advanced simulations. These simulations can be played by students, both online and in the classroom. The game is a trick to provide first hand experience on business dealings. It’s specifically designed to expose students to the wide range of innovation methods at their disposal being the innovation manager at a medium size newspaper office. The newspaper is going downhill and the subscriptions are decreasing. Gamers have to find innovative solutions to bring the newspaper back in business. Marion says that,
“When you play the game, you’re the innovation manger. You need to find the best idea while operating within strict cost and time constraints. With a budget of $50,000 students have to analyse variety of innovation strategies, determining which combination is likely to produce the best results given the nature of task and company’s tolerance for risk.”
In short, all the fellow gamers have new found excuse and reasons to play more games.
Shraddha Patil
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