After attending the GLS conference in Madison, Wisconsin I came away with something profound about Generation Y and how technology has influenced their behavior:
"That the players were often confronted with moral dilemmas was my first
shock about gaming. Pong, Space Invaders, and Ms. Pac-Man weren’t that
complicated. Yet here was a group emotionally engaged in a virtual world
that could move them just as easily as my generation could be moved to
tears by movies or television. And in a step beyond anything my generation
had ever experienced, this new generation of video game players was
being forced to make not just choices but life-and-death choices in order
to win.
My second shock during the GLS conference came on Saturday evening.
After all the talks and the black-tie dinner, I grabbed a couple of
sodas with two friends and business colleagues my own age: Richard
Carey, of Richard Carey Associates, and Lee Wilson, of Headway Strategies.
We headed back to Lee’s hotel. He had one more thing to reveal to
me before he felt comfortable that I “got it.”
He set up his laptop and began to talk me through the creation of an
avatar in World of Warcraft. An avatar is a digital representative of a player
that interacts within a 3D environment. My head was spinning at this
point as I began to realize the ramifications of twenty years of gaming
technology and its influence.
As I began to move my character through the 3D world, it became
apparent that this was not only fun, it was addictive. All I had to do was
master a few navigation skills and the ability to toggle between the types
of weapons and things I could acquire. After an hour, I had accomplished
seven different quests and earned 150 points to be traded in for various
weapons, magic spells, and supplies. I could move on to the next level.
And then I asked Lee the obvious question: “What got you into World
of Warcraft?”
“I wanted to spend time with my kids.”
From page 75 of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia
Remember, Gen Y, Millennials, Gamers etc...do not view the computer as a device or a tool but a conduit to everything.
Something to think about huh?
Thanks again for reading...
Brad Szollose
Brad is the award winning author of Liquid Leadership: From Woodstock to Wikipedia: Multigenerational Management Ideas That Are Changing The Way We Run Things ISBN-13: 978-1608320554
