Video games are part of many people’s daily lives, they use them from their smartphones, consoles or computers. But have you ever thought that all those people while playing are working for their professional career?
The world of video games and the world of work have something in common and it is Karl Kapp, one of the world leaders in instructional design and gamification who presents their similarities.
Karl Kapp is vice director of the Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI) at Bloomsburg University, PhD in Instructional Design at the University of Pittsburgh, university lecturer and gamification expert.
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What do video games and your professional development have in common?
If you’re like me as a kid, you were told that video games were a waste of time and not productive. Well, fast forward to when I’m an adult and I can tell you that playing video games and working on your career development have a lot in common.
First, really good, well-designed video games are all about problem solving. The game puts you in a situation where you face a problem that has multiple solutions.
Your career will be full of decisions with many options to choose from. There are clearly bad options and plenty of good, feasible options for you to consider.
You can generalize the same technique for career decisions, I bet you can.
What can video games teach us?
The next thing video games can teach us is that finding the “enemy” or opponent is a good thing, not a bad thing. If, while playing a video game, I am unsure about 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 path, that could be a sign that you’ve found something interesting, provocative, different and exciting.
When I started studying and writing about the convergence of games and the field of learning and development I was met with a lot of resistance from many different directions, but I stuck to my guns and have made a career out of studying, applying and developing games that help others learn. Look for places of progression and not resistance or unproductive. Be smart and persistent. One way to make sure you are going in the right direction is to stay current on what is happening in the field.
