Imagine blasting the head of your boss at the same time you deliver the recent positive quarterly report, or slaying a dragon with a new prospect partners while you discuss a possible collaboration. For some people and businesses that’s already reality. A small group have come together and created what they call Nerd Poker, to organize closed online gaming session. Both to have a great time, but also to do business and connect with new partners and prospect.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. The game medium have been used for different business purposes before, like Second Life and business training (strategy games to learn how to administrate big corporations). But in those cased the game medium is transformed to fit a certain function. The communications methods in-games have developed fast and now a day its standard to be able to voice chat while playing. Though, not all parents are in favor for this trend, when the control over what their kids can say is close to null. Still, there are always idiots out there. Its far more interesting to figure out how we can use technology to improve communications. Some big companies leverage this to keep up the communication if they have offices spread out across countries and continents.
The “new” young generation generally have better skills for multitasking than previous, so talking business while blasting away each other into oblivion in the virtual space is no biggie. The online game space is a great way to meet up with new people in a relaxed environment (even if the action sometimes get hectic). The young executives in Hollywood sure have proven this to be a very useful new channel for networking and business communication, internally and externally.
Another aspect is the possibilities to take the pulse on the younger gaming demographics. Just hook up online, join a lot of games and just listen to what the gamers talk about, their interest and conversations. Challenge and play with them and get a sence for who they are and what they like. This might be the new web forums to communicate with your costumers? G-Forum 1.0?
More and more people play games, so its only natural that games become a new reason to get together and meet. I hope this trend continues. Hopefully games will become the 21th century’s platform for relaxed business meeting, and take over from the 20th century’s, Golf. One can only hope!
First read about this story here: E24.se – Hollywoodlöften nätverkar med tv-spel