Are You Game?

Some government agencies and companies are kicking around the idea of turning the desktop into a game where employees interact in a game format all day. "There's a lot of interest in games and work being one and the same," says Ben Sawyer, co-director of The Serious Game Initiative, an organization that studies how electronic games can be used at work.

The graphical user interface-as-game idea appeals to the military, which has a young, mostly male work force. Microsoft is considering incorporating video games into its development process, and IBM is interested in virtual work-related issues. "People are starting to understand that [play is] not divorced from work," says Chuck Hamilton, who manages learning strategy at IBM Canada's Innovation Center.