So here I am, sitting in the sixth floor of an office overlooking the remarkable city of Brighton, working for a new age, cutting edge business. How did that ever happen? I had only just started the second year of my university course, Business Management, a month ago.
It all started in my new elective module: Gamification: Using Game Design Principles in Business. Pete, the owner and founder of Gamification+ and Entrepreneur in Residence at University of Brighton, offered an internship in the first workshop to the entire class. What? Say again? Can we take a minute…? This is an opportunity to work in the business world to get that all important foot on the ladder. This allows me to work in a business that is so relevant to my course that it is mutually beneficial for my learning and experience. Not to mention, I will be getting paid at the same time. Don’t mind if I do Pete. Don’t mind if I do.
After a few emails to and from, to test my ability to be recruited I was asked to play a game. Practice what you preach. However, this was no ordinary game. The game, called Virtuoso (from GraviTalent), analyses in game behaviour as you play. You have a limited time to complete the game, 20 minutes, and because of this a large percentage of candidates never complete it. I did finish the game, but it is the process of playing the game, more than the actual completion, that matters. It then grades you on measures such as strategic thinking, ingenuity, speed, problem solving, perseverance etc.
I suppose I didn’t do that badly, as here I am, sitting in the sixth floor of an office overlooking the remarkable city of Brighton. I have to say, it is very interesting. I am currently editing Pete’s website after he introduced me to the world of CRM’s. CRM, or customer relationship management, is by nature quite a standard, low key, and not particularly interesting or engaging piece of software. Quite literally whilst writing this post there is a conversation to my right, in which they are saying how much time people spend in front of a computer and how it is traditionally monotonous and how CRMs just aren’t interesting. That is where gamification comes in. That is where we come in. I believe in the movement and how it will make people’s lives much more interesting and dynamic. When you believe in the movement you’re working in, it makes your job that little bit more motivating, too.
That is where I am at mentally. I have found work, real and actual work, not simply education, rather interesting. Whilst I am sure many haven’t enjoyed a day of work in their life, I like to think it doesn’t have to be that way. Stats from alecarnegie.com, suggest 71% of the American workforce are disengaged with their work. I won’t accept living in a society where people aren’t happy with where they spend eight hours plus of their day, plus travel time, five out of seven days of the week. It’s disheartening that the ‘rat race’ even exists. We all should enjoy our eighty years (or more, if you’re lucky) on this earth. I believe Gamification can help resolve this to some extent and I want to help make that happen.
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See you soon,
Shane.
