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Big Business Loves the Computer Gaming Industry
David Greenspan writes "Video games are no longer exclusive to a consumer market. Business Week has an article on the new trend of big business willing to pay millions for custom-made games. The casual market has inspired folks in business to realize the broad appeal of games, and some of the possibilities inherent to the medium. As a result, business games are now big business. From the article: 'To reach the billion-dollar mark, the market will have to overcome the common wisdom that games are inherently not serious. A serious games market will also require game developers to shift from the traditional business-to-consumer model to a business-to-business one. Today when major studios and publishers are approached by companies interested in commissioning, say, an employee-training game based on a successful commercial title, more often than not those studios and publishers decline. Even if the interested company is offering $5 million, it's not worth the gamemakers' time to divert engineers from a commercial title likely to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.'"
The logic makes sense to me. Now, back to flipping through Muscle & Fitness Magazine! God, those guys are BUILT!
I can't wait for the business training game, Salesman: Blood Money, where you play as Mr. 47, a genetically engineered salesman, created from the DNA of the five more dangerous salesmen.
Why not produce those games? For example, a lawyer training game based upon something like Resident Evil or BloodRayne - they're already disease-infested vampires, it should require virtually -no- changes!
I can already see the Doom clone for customer service reps.
1) Customer lures you in with the promise of an easy frag. - "I can't get my email."
2) Customer side steps your opening salvo - "Yes, my computer is plugged in."
3) You run out of ammo while the customer bunny hops towards you. - "I have just tried telnetting to port 110 on pop.yourcompany.com and recieved a timeout. I then tried a traceroute and can't reach your facility."
4) Customer drops a grenade on your head - "No, I think it could be the power outage in your data center that is being reported on CNN right now."
5) You respawn in the middle of 10 customers holding grenades. - "Somebody turn on the ambush for God's sake!"
A couple of 30-somethings embark on the ultimate roadtrip
"Luck is my middle name," said Rincewind, indistinctly. "Mind you, my first name is Bad." -- Terry Pratchett
Synergy Enhancers!
Face it, the sysadmin will NEVER get the girl at the end of the game. The closest would be to find a user's pron stash.
This Software Was Made For Business
Rated M for Mature:
For Real-world situations, Work-like Environment, Frequent Interruptions, and Panic-inducing Deadlines.
Rated AO for Adults Only:
Portrays Double-Entry Accounting and Enforces GAAP
Rainbow Six Sigma
'nuff said
Cheers!
Atheist: Buddhist in a Prius
I thought Serious Sam settled this whole "games can't be serious" business a long time ago. Sam was very serious. The engine for the game was serious too.
Croteam was ahead of their time in more ways than one; they'd seen the need for seriousness in the games industry, and they provided it in spades.
The enemies of Democracy are
The only thing that separates Graphic Novels from Comic Books is the price.
So you're saying it's a wad of phlegm?
Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
How to find the meeting room:
>you are in a twisty maze of cubicles, all alikeHow to navigate the HR benefits phone tree:
>you are in a twisty maze of indecipherable options, all alikeHow to navigate the office supply procurement web site:
>you are in a twisty maze of unusable web pages, all alike