On the Job Gaming

Not long ago, playing digital games at work was considered a violation of company policies. But now many businesses are making it a job requirement.

In an effort to connect with their growing ranks of 20-something workers who practically popped out of the womb wielding a cellphone and laptop, companies around the world are using digital games to train young employees who don't respond well to traditional methods, such as reading manuals.

Ian Bogost, associate professor of digital media at Georgia Tech, says anyone under 35 has grown up with games. "The kinds of experiences they have grown accustomed to, in terms of the presentation of ideas, are more interactive than passive."

Take Daiichi-Sanko. The Japanese pharmaceutical company entered the gaming realm in the summer of 2007, just prior to re-purposing its cholesterol drug Welchol for treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

The company decided the best way to connect with its young sales force was to ditch the thick binders full of facts for a more interactive approach. Daiichi went to digital games designer BrandGames to create a game that allows its salespeople to role-play as robots that kill critters. Every time a salesman shoots a critter, the animal gives him or her a statement about the drug. The company says it has found this game useful in educating employees without making learning seem like a chore.

"Our sales force is made up of a lot of Generation X and Yers. We wanted something that would engage our employees," says Debra Asbury, director of primary-care sales training at Daiichi.

Daiichi even turned its critter game into a competition and rewarded the high scorers with prizes. "At the launch meeting, we were able to see the knowledge level was up there," Asbury says. "[Employees] were able to understand the high-science, clinical aspects that we had asked them to learn." The game program has been so successful that Daiichi is working on a second one.

Johnson & Johnson began its "Campaign for Nursing's Future" in 2002 to strengthen what it believes is the backbone of the health care industry: nurses. The program uses various channels to connect with young people and encourage them to enter the nursing field. Its latest project, which will likely launch in the first quarter of 2009, is a digital game that gives new nursing school graduates some practical time in a clinical setting.