The Matrix For Businesses

An anonymous reader writes "The idea of using virtual reality and gaming technologies to create training exercises and business simulations has been around for years. But recent advances in computer graphics, interfaces, and massively multiplayer online (MMO) games have made it commercially viable to pursue simulations in the business world. Novel, a venture-backed startup company, is about to launch a new MMO role-playing game, called Empire & State, with an unusual goal: to use the technology and the lessons it learns from the game to create simulations for big companies that want to improve their human resources and hiring efficiencies. Imagine assessing employees' leadership and teamwork skills by jacking them into a virtual, multiplayer business scenario. That's the goal, but Novel will face challenges of all sorts — business, social, and technical — in its efforts to sell MMO technologies to the corporate world."

Kobayashi Maru

[wiredlogic]

That sounds great until somebody learns to game the game. Then what practical use is it to the real world?

ThirdLife?

[eexaa]

see subject. I think this has already been here before, with no real success.

Imagine assessing employees

[Anonymous Coward]

Imagine assessing employees' leadership and teamwork skills by jacking them into a virtual, multiplayer business scenario.

What would this offer above hiring them and seeing how they work out? Seems like a needless layer of rube goldberg complexity that doesn't make sense in the end. I guess this IS a matrix for business.

Re:Kobayashi Maru

[Ephemeriis]

That sounds great until somebody learns to game the game. Then what practical use is it to the real world?

Practical? Maybe not...

But folks these days game the game all the time. It's just called "office politics".

Re:Kobayashi Maru

[DragonIV]

That won't take long, either. Of course, depending on the interview, gaming the game might be just what they're looking for!

Companies will WANT their employees to use this ?

[ProdigyPuNk]

FTFA: Players start out as citizens of an empire, and can collaborate and compete with other players to become leaders of young companies or presidents of countries. Depending on their interests, they can also become criminal overlords, military strategists, bounty hunters, or business tycoons. The game itself will be free, but Novel will charge money for transactions within the game, like when players want to purchase clothing, weapons, or housing. “Our innovation is that players have never been given the ability to explore real business practices and politics before,” Olson says. “We’ve never had the ability to do anything but kill stuff before [in MMOs].” ...Doesn't sound like something I would want my employees doing instead of, you know, being productive...

Re:Obligatory

[gknoy]

Who would you then hire to ensure that employees are well-informed about the law and policies that cover them, who ensure that employee grievances are handled properly, and who manage the paperwork and such for benefits and so forth? Who would be responsible for making sure employees were fully informed (in a uniform and consistent way) at interviews about company benefits, and so on?

HR does a lot more than managing hiring, doesn't it? Sure, we want to think of them as useless twits who either screen out the good applicants we want or screen US out when we want to apply via bogus job requirements, but not all of them are like that. Moreover, there are many important parts of any business/employee relationship which have to be fulfilled by SOMEONE.