Study Says Playing Videos Games Can Help You Do Your Job Better

Incorporating video games into work training can help people do their jobs better, according to a new study by the University of Colorado in Denver.

The study found that trainees who used video games had a nine percent higher retention rate, an 11 percent higher factual knowledge level and a 14 percent higher skill-based knowledge level, according to an announcement today by the game industry trade group, the  Entertainment Software Association.

The study lends support to the trend toward “gamification,” also known as “serious games,” where non-game applications are made more fun, engaging and memorable by making them more game-like. Employee training is ripe for gamification because it can be so boring. By making it more game-like, employers can communicate with young employees in particular in a medium they can understand.

Check out the rest of the article by Dean Takahashi at The New York Times.