February 2009
IBM has announced the second version of ‘INNOV8,’ a new version of its ‘Serious Game’ learning mechanism that helps students and professionals hone their business and technology skills in a compelling, familiar video game format.
Serious games are at the cusp of widespread adoption within all sectors of business and government, from military flight simulators to corporate training.
According to The Apply Group, by 2012, between 100 and 135 of the Global Fortune 500 will have adopted gaming for learning, with the United States, United Kingdom and Germany leading the way.
Building on the success of the original INNOV8 in the academic community, INNOV8 v.2 will be available at no cost to businesses and academic institutions for simulations and training.
This new version features puzzles and tasks that challenge players to tackle real-world challenges, delivering a complete redesign of the game, with a new global collaboration feature for players to work with virtual team mates to progress to the next level of the game.
Additionally, three new game scenarios: Green Supply Chain, Efficient Traffic Flow and Call Center Customer Service, reflect a new level of intelligence required for future, high-value job opportunities.
In the ‘Green Supply Chain’ scenario, players evaluate a traditional supply chain model and work on reducing a fictional company's carbon footprint.
In the ‘Efficient Traffic Flow’ scenario, players evaluate existing traffic patterns and re-route traffic based on sensors that alert the player to disruptions such as accidents and roadway congestion.
In ‘Call Center Customer Service’ scenario, players use a call center environment to develop more efficient ways to respond to customers.
"Business simulations allow companies to optimize costs, mitigate risks and remain agile in a rapidly changing environment," said Sandy Carter, IBM Vice President of SOA, BPM and WebSphere.
"The new features in INNOV8 v.2 provide a powerful tool for businesses to simulate challenges and explore the range of solutions offered by a Service Oriented Architecture approach before committing resources."
According to a 2008 study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a great lecture can improve learning outcomes by 17 per cent, while switching to a different delivery mechanism such as ‘serious gaming’ can improve learning outcomes by 108 per cent.
INNOV8 v.2 will be available in May 2009.
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