English
What does your career have in common with video games?
Guns · 23 de enero de 2024 · 2 min de lectura
Discover how video games and career development connect, according to instructional design and gamification expert Karl Kapp…
Video games are part of everyday life for many people, whether on smartphones, consoles or computers. But have you ever considered that, while playing, they could also be working on their careers?
Video games and working life have something in common. Karl Kapp, one of the world's leading figures in instructional design and gamification, explains the similarities.
Karl Kapp is assistant director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies (ITI) at Bloomsburg University, holds a doctorate in instructional design from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a university professor and gamification expert.
Learn more here:
Karl Kapp's YouTube channel.
You can turn on captions directly on YouTube under Settings > Subtitles/CC. You can also read the transcript below:
What do video games and your professional development have in common?
If you are like me, when you were a child you were told that video games were a waste of time and unproductive. Fast-forward to adulthood, and I can tell you that playing video games and developing your career have a great deal in common.
First, really good, well-designed video games are about solving problems. A game puts you in a situation with a problem that has multiple solutions.
Your career will be full of decisions with many options. Some are clearly bad; many others are good and feasible, and need to be considered.
Can you apply the same technique to career decisions? I bet you can.
What can video games teach us?
Another lesson is that finding the “enemy” or opponent is a good thing. When I am playing a video game and am unsure what to do or where to go, I look for the bad characters and know that is the right direction.
If you encounter obstacles and resistance in your career, it may be a sign that you have found something interesting, provocative, different and exciting.
When I began studying and writing about the convergence of games and learning and development, I encountered substantial resistance from many directions. But I stood firm and built a career studying, applying and developing games that help others learn. Look for opportunities to progress rather than unproductive resistance. Be smart and persistent. One way to make sure you are heading in the right direction is to stay up to date with what is happening in the field.