1. Immersive Education: The Future of Business and Leadership

             Communication is an important part of leadership in the business world. And so too in the online gaming world. MMORPGs provide users with various ways to interact with other people playing the game. Most often this form of communication is used to create groups, guilds, parties etc. to band together to accomplish a goal. Most often, someone in the group will be deemed the leader, and will take over communication, as well as how the task at hand is going to be accomplished swiftly. This is becoming more and more appealing to leaders in business, looking for youth and leadership in a ever changing society, and indeed world, where technology has become the ultimate tool for success in business.

             The business world and the environments that can be seen in MMORPGs are highly complex and demanding on those who wish to succeed in them, and this is an interesting juxtaposition that points to the demands of leaders, and the necessary capabilities and competencies one needs to thrive in both the real and virtual worlds. Both worlds require group collaboration, making quick decisions, orginization, incentive based performance, as well as an array of different communication tools. Success in a highly competitive virtual environment, which is highly diversified, provides a glimpse at not only someones capabilities as a leader in a game, but in what could be the future of corporate business and communication.

               In the corporate world, as well as in the online world, everyone must know their role if they are to succeed in a group. The success or failure of any enterprise is always based on this principle: KNOW YOUR ROLE. MMORPGs provide users with this task, and not only is this a must, it must be done according to the wishes of the group. The group decides their roles, and they stick to it, or the end result is failure. This type of self organization to accomplish a goal is an asset that many leaders in business would consider to be of utmost importance. Collaborating in a diverse group, and being able to both lead, and be led is a prized attribute. Not only are they accomplishing this task, they organize it themselves. This makes this task all the more impressive and desirable to the corporate CEO, looking for a leader in a highly progressive, highly technological world. 

              Right now, research is being done into the validity of this type of comparison. An according to many academics and business execs alike, this is not all too far off from an accurate vision of the future. The ability to collaborate and succeed in MMOPRGs, such as World of Warcraft, games that require all the desired abilities of real leaders, are not far off from those required of leaders in business. And with businesses relying more and more on not only technology, but those as seen in the virtual world, these comparisons can be justified. Communication skills, organization, quick decisions, the delegation of duties to those who are competent, are all prized traits of the business leader.

             In Conclusion, as video games have emerged and evolved over the past 30+years, more and more gamers have come to be included in the workforce of society. With the dawn of MMORPGs, more collaborative gamers are emerging, and soon enough they will be emerging in the business world. The qualities possessed by leaders in such games are a testament to their character and the way they can learn to work in groups and communicate in a wide variety of ways. When we game, we are not just simply playing a game with other people in the world, we are learning to survive and thrive in an adverse environment, and do so together, regardless of predispositions. 

IBM Gaming Report: Virtual Worlds, Real Leaders
IBM: Gaming and Leadership in a Distributed World
Link to iED:
http://immersiveeducation.org/