In the decade-ish since the second coming of social media, global democracy has been severely impaired by the spread of fake news. I believe that using gamification techniques could substantially retard this phenomenon and reset the balance. N.B. I’m using “fake news” to refer to things which are actually fake, not things that are true…
The subject of compliance with government regulations and ethics is a serious one for businesses. The consequences of being caught violating the law, even inadvertently, are more severe than ever. The Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal agencies are waiting to catch rule-breakers. Thanks to the Internet and social media, the news of violations spreads around the world immediately. One misstep wipes out years of patiently building a great reputation with consumers.
Can game based training help fire fighters deal with house fires? Yes. At least this is the answer being put forward by a team of engineers at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. They have developed and deployed a residential firefighting module with the help of five urban fire departments.
Acknowledging a growing need for a digitally literate workforce that uses technology in a safe and secure way, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created a program that highlights the potential of game based training to educate young students in cybersecurity.
The United States Army Special Forces Qualification Course is a multi-phase training event that produces the most storied and versatile Soldiers in the world. The principles of game based training percolate throughout the course, and the end result is irrefutable.
Boosting Civic Engagement With Gamification In Ovar, Portugal There are many approaches politicians use to try to encourage civic involvement and voter participation. Talking about government budgets is usually not one of them but the Portuguese town of Ovar took to a gamification approach to civic discussion, and to the politicians’ surprise, learned that it was a…
Gamification has been used in education to motivate students to learn and in private business to improve employee performance for years. It was only a matter of time before the technique began to be used in the political process.
Few environments present training challenges more difficult than those encountered in disaster management. The elements of any particular disaster – including location, severity, duration, the extent of damage to infrastructure, and existence of any continuing threat – are unique. Even so, and regardless of the exact nature of the event, one thing is certain: public agencies and first responders need immediate access to accurate data regarding conditions in precise locations. That not only allows the correct first responders to be deployed to the places where they can have the most impact, but it also reduces the confusion inherent the same conditions being reported by different people in different media.
In 2010 President Obama signed the Plain Language Act. This act requires all federal agencies to use clear and effective language that the public can understand easily. The intent is for the government to stop using jargon and overly complex sentences that make it difficult for the everyday person to participate. The act lists no less than 30 specific rules and several other guidelines that are now required of government employees. Unfortunately the task of training them has been less than successful up to this point. Mike McClory, a professional working on writing training said “Five years later, only about one government employee in 10 has even heard of the law, and very few have participated in any meaningful plain writing training.” So McClory and his colleagues are introducing game based training in the skills of Plain Writing.
The U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) put out a request for information last month entitled, “Games for Training (GFT) Next Generation Game (NGG).” In the release, the division made clear that a push towards updating their game based training programs is an absolute priority and that the search for interested vendors with applicable technologies has begun.
May the Force (Shoe) Be With You! It’s a long way from the runways of Milan to low-earth orbit, but the two have one thing in common: a new generation of shoes called ForceShoes. While certainly eye-catching, they don’t look like designed footwear, but are designed to help NASA gather data on how astronauts are walking…
Gothenburg Is Testing a 6 Hour Work Days Based on Positive Evidence In Sweden, citizens have really taken the adage “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” to heart. In fact, the Swedes are testing the waters of a very enticing future – work less, play more. Some experts in Sweden want to prove…
A Serious Game Helps Analyze Complex Cancer Research Data Although serious games have many uses – employee engagement, marketing and learning among them – one area that may prove as a surprise is cancer research. After all, researchers don’t need games, and cancer research cannot be done by just anyone, right? Play to Cure: Genes in Space…
Join 130,000 People from 145 Countries Already Helping Neuroscience Those who think that scientists are all work and no play haven’t met MIT scientist Sebastien Seung (@SebastianSeung). In his quest to map the cells in the mammalian retina, he launched the EyeWire online game (@eye_wire). The game was first announced in late 2012 when Seung launched it…
“The child amidst his baubles is learning the action of light, motion, gravity, muscular force…” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Time For Work And Time For Play Anthropologists define “play” as activities involving games, stories or art. Children love these activities because they’re fun, but there is also a serious evolutionary purpose behind them: implicit learning. Through…
