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Our Bureau

`Games enable thousands of players to interact, compete and collaborate'

Bangalore June 21 Online games teach leadership qualities, say two new research studies from IBM, produced in conjunction with MIT, Stanford University and a software start-up called Seriosity.

Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft and Everquest teach the same qualities needed to lead effectively in global workplaces.

MMORPGs bring together thousands of simultaneous players in a fast-paced online environment. They represent a growing business that, according to the TowerGroup, will reach 40 million people and generate over $9 billion in revenue by 2010.

"If you want to see what business leadership will look like in 3 - 5 years, look at what's happening in online games," said Dr Byron Reeves, the Paul C. Edwards Professor of Communication at Stanford University. That's because such games enable thousands of players to interact, compete and collaborate with one another in real time. Players must make rapid-fire decisions based on multiple and constantly shifting inputs. Invariably, certain individuals emerge to set direction and shape the success of others. What's more, leadership is often temporal, quickly shifting from one person to another as the course of action dictates.

These skills are widely sought, yet rarely taught in MBA classes or as part of corporate leadership development programmes. The role-playing games can help companies gain a better understanding of the ways in which the next generation of leaders will need to operate.

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