Just finished two readings for tomorrow's class, both by T.D. Henrikson. The first one was entirely beyond me. I think it was supposed to determine the difference between gaming and simulation. I'm still not sure that for adult games there's a difference - or at least not one that is obvious to me.
The second reading was interesting in that I now have an understanding of what the Nordic EIS game/simulation is about. However, I still feel like I'm missing the point.
Here's my personal perspective. Games for adults do not need to be 'fun' - they need to be challenging and learner specific. What's challenging for one learner could be dull and too basic for another or too difficult to cope with for the next.
But really, I don't want to go into work one day and be told I have to play some stupid game so that my team doesn't look bad. Seriously, most games/simulations are terrible. I'd rather just be given another policy to read, or better - a video to watch and be left alone. Fake simulations with little/no real-life value are a waste of time, as are most role-playing exercises. Most role-playing involves characters given a 6 line paragraph about who they are - and then they can't even answer basic questions about their issues, roles, etc. The only role playing exercises I've been a part of that were any good were with the Red Cross Disaster Management program - realistic, challenging, a bit stressful as are most real new situations for people, and 'fun'. The key to this being a success was that we played ourselves in new roles - we didn't play some 1-dimensional character and we were armed only with the knowledge we already had and had to learn on the fly. We left feeling like we could handle a disaster situation - despite any procedural errors it would all work out.
For an actual game - I recommend Cranium. I don't promise you'll learn anything, but it will be fun!
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