Spear and magic helmet? Elmer Fudd had it right

by Sam Driver.

We often hear about the effects that virtual worlds, most often massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), have on “real life.”  Sometimes, it is to the tune of “wife aggro,” the term for someone who has played a few too many hours of a video game, and has to tell the online gang that he’s got to log off.  (This is an archaic term because many video game players are women, and they are just as likely to get bound up in the adventure, conversation and excitement of worlds born of the Ether as their male counterparts). More recently, we hear about academic studies like those coming out of Stanford University that suggest that we feel many of the same emotions when something happens to our avatars as we would if it happened to us. This finding has a real-world impact on work life as well as home life.

Many of the ideas that develop in game worlds are destined to be transformed into business tools. As an example, many people play video games not only for entertainment, but because the environment is crafted to draw them in for one more success, one more level, or one more excellent treasure (also known as loot).  Sophisticated marketing and design efforts go into MMORPGs to reward people for spending time in the game. Similar initiatives are inevitable in business, and if implemented correctly, could provide a whole new retention and reward channel for successful employees. 

The challenge is to overcome the common attitude that games have nothing of value to enhance business.  In “What’s Opera Doc?” Elmer Fudd is a caricature of an epic hero singing about his unbelievable  spear and magic helmet. Bugs Bunny’s sarcastic response to Elmer Fudd’s loot matches most reactions to the idea that virtual objects can have significant value.  In the end, the power is revealed to be true, which I believe will happen with both serious games and virtual rewards. 

It won’t be long before employers can provide a similar “loot” system for employees as the start of this new retention and compensation channel.  Employees are used to bonuses for performance, promotions and raises as the standard rewards.  These are often distributed annually or quarterly at best and in this instant-gratification world, may not be as powerful a tool as repeated mini-rewards. As an avid game player myself, I would attach a much larger value to virtual loot I could use in-world than I would a wooden plaque that recognizes an achievement I made last quarter. As the immersive electronic reality merges with the rest of reality, the opportunities for employers to instantly recognize and reward employees with virtual boons will become a powerful management tool.

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