SGS D.C. Developer Showcase
What do you see as the most significant obstacles that must be overcome as a contributer to the 'serious games' space? First is to use a common term. “Serious Games” seems to be the term used by the gaming industry. “E-learning Simulation” seems to be the term used by the training/education industry. Gartner uses “Game-Based Simulation;” IBM uses“Serious Play;” and there are more. The sooner we can have a single term, the better for us to be able to communicate with customers. Second, the market has to better understand what serious games are, which will happen over time. Third, having access to formal research that can prove the effectiveness of Serious Games to end customers and academics who are often skeptical. Fourth, investment dollars (Venture Capital, Angel, etc.) has to be available to fund companies and projects. What was the general reaction you experienced of attendees to your organization's presence at the Serious Games Summit D.C. Event? Very positive. They seemed pleased to meet a company that was actually “doing it” rather than “talking about it.” Was there anything that disappointed you at the show? The event was well organized and on time. Perhaps, some more opportunities for general networking would be helpful. I found the two “lightly moderated” sessions the most valuable as it allowed audience members to share their personal stories, which was both informative and helpful in identifying contacts.
Where do you and your company see the market heading, say, in the next five years? As I stated, huge changes and multibillion dollar market opportunities are emerging. This is being driven by three things: (1) Availability of sophisticated technology in our every-day lives via computers, cell phones, PDAs, etc. (2) Globalization, where there is opportunity and competition in every corner of the world – companies that will succeed are those that have the best workforce from senior management to front-line employees; nations that will succeed are those that are able to quickly train their citizens in aspects of entrepreneurship, business, finance, etc. and are able to better participate in a free market economy. This can’t be done well with traditional training methods, but it can with serious games, which can transcend cultural and literacy challenges. (3) The emergence of the video game generation. With gamers now in their 30s, this generation is already making key decisions in business, government, and education. An important stat is that half of all teachers in North America are retiring in the next 5 to 10 years – this has very large implications as the video game generation takes over education in schools and universities. Have you seen any trends within the space that have emerged, good or bad, since the serious games movement has begun to gain support? Mostly positive as I stated. The only negative is that the term is used so loosely that sometimes customers are turned off to the concept by a bad experience/product. Lastly, do you plan on having a continued presence at the Serious Games Summit conference going forward, and if so what did you learn from this year that you will do different in years to come? Yes. I’m hoping to do a presentation in future years.
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