Bring on the gamers

October 21st, 2004

Generation gaps are nothing new. But if John Beck and Mitchell Wade are right, those under the age of 34 think, learn and feel differently from everyone else. The root of this cognitive divide? Video games, since the 1980s a primary form of home entertainment for impressionable teens.

Reports the Financial Times Thursday October 21 2004.
The article is a review of a new book GOT GAME. How the gamer generation is reshapiing business forever by John Beck and Mitchell Wade.
I think the subject matter is fascinating, and reinforces our view that the way we work, communicate, market brands, consume content is changing. The UK is fascinating in that it loves its silos, and embraces change reluctantly. We would caution that loving these comfy cardigans for too long is a bad idea.
Just look at how senior management in some of the big retail companies have responded to difficult business circumstances. Has it invited in fresh thinking, new capabilities? Not until it is often too late.
We need a different approach, more integrated, more holistic. This article backs up another study that games and gaming educate people in very different ways. Perhaps, the education system might have a rethink about how it shapes and builds our leaders and workers of the future?

This is what Harvard Business Review have to say:

Think video games are kids' stuff? Think again. Provocative new data show that video games have created a new generation of employees and executives–bigger than the baby boom–that will dramatically transform the workplace. And according to strategists John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade, managers who understand and harness this generation's distinct attributes can leap far ahead of their competition. Got Game shows how growing up immersed in video games has profoundly shaped the attitudes and abilities of this new generation. Though little-noticed, these 90 million rising professionals, through sheer numbers, will inevitably dominate business–and are already changing the rules. Although many of these changes are positive–such as more open communication and creative problem solving–they have caused a generation gap that frustrates gamers and the boomers who manage them. Got Game identifies the distinct values and traits that define the gamer generation–from an increased appetite for risk to unexpected leadership skills–and reveals management techniques today's leaders can use to bridge the generation gap and unleash gamers' hidden potential

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