T
hirty years ago this month, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum was released to the public and kickstarted a new home computing
revolution.
We got one for Christmas and spent the majority of Christmas day holding a hairdryer into the back of the unit (as we were advised to do) to get the thing to load some games. And as introductions to computer games outside of the arcade went, this was the start of something huge.
It would be years until games would capture my imagination again and this was in the networked multiplayer of Falcon F16 on the Atari ST. The idea of playing a game competitively between two computers just blew us away.
It only took a few more years before we were playing games against other people on the internet.
Games are a fascinating subject because they are characterised more by their diversity than their similarities.
A game might involve the exploration of a system of virtual plumbing systems (Mario), the destruction of porcine fortresses using ballistic avian missiles (Angry Birds) or the precise alignment of key coloured blocks in a restricted container (Tetris).
They permit the exploration of user interface elements in new ways providing new user experiences.
Games also subsume all other media. Modern computer games require the development of software, the design of graphics, the writing of screenplays, the direction of camera angles, the psychology of behaviour, the application of game design and the ability to manage all of these assets into a finished game.
Games are expressed in three ways. 1. Games for entertainment 2. Games for learning 3. Games for business
From PACMAN to FarmVille, we have familiarity with games for entertainment purposes.
The filling of our leisure time with entertainment and distraction ‑ the diversity of which can be overwhelming. From the shared doodles of DrawSomething to the treatise of psychological horror represented by Silent Hill, the are games for every niche, for every taste and in every genre.
We enjoy playing, winning, collaborating, scoring points and entering our initials on the leader board.
While some games can have learning potential, games designed expressly for learning deserve their own category.
Easily considered in the realms of language and culture acquisition, in the development of training simulations in virtual worlds and in instruction of scientific concepts, games for learning provide a way to create enthusiasm for a subject by presenting the material in a new and interactive fashion.
The score board can replace the exam board as our desire to achieve for the sake of points can be more enticing than the banal activity of exam achievement.
InfoTech
www.businessfirstonline.co.uk 40
The ubiquity of games by Ian Graham, chief executive, Momentum
Games for business My third category, games for business, is represented everywhere. The most blatant example is the supermarket loyalty card. Perform these activities, get points.
Perform certain other activities, get even more points. Our behaviours become optimised for whatever the supermarket desires because we want to maximise our points gain in every activity.
Studies have shown that even in the absence of actual rewards, the presence of a virtual reward (achievements, points, badges) provides enough incentive to increase performance. The term for this, the application of game terms for non‑entertainment purposes has been called "gamification" but it's more fitting to echo Jesse Schell in calling this the advent of the Gamepocalypse.
Applying game mechanics and point‑based systems to every aspect of modern life seems inevitable especially where we seek to effect a change in behaviour. Is it any wonder that travelling by plane generates points, changing your diet involves points and driving your car too fast attracts points.
Points, and the circumstances of attaining them, can and do change behaviour. Consider now, even if you've never played
Angry Birds or Mario, just how many games you are involved in playing.
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