As I looked around the room I was
reminded of the orthodontist leveraging his weight, and getting ready to pull
the last of my wisdom teeth. I could feel the pain starting to build up inside
off me even though my gum was completely numbed. The faces around the room had
similar expressions of pain. Except we were not getting our teeth pulled, but
getting ready to start a day of corporate training. There are those of us that
would rather take our chances with the orthodontist than to spend a day of
training. This is because most of the time training is not just boring, but
mostly a prolonged agony that is imposed on us. This got me thinking, does it
have to be this way? What if there was a way to learn about teambuilding and
interdepartmental communication through a massively multiplayer
online role-playing game (MMORPG) like World of Warcraft (WoW)?
WoW requires its players to control a
character (an avatar) within a game world in third- or first-person view,
exploring the landscape, fighting various monsters, completing quests, and
interacting with non-player characters or other players. Although WoW
requires the player to pay for a subscription, they do offer a starter edition
(https://us.battle.net/account/creation/wow/signup/)
that permits you to play 20 levels free. The biggest benefit to using WoW as a tool is that it engages novices
and experts in joint problem solving, which is considered by learning theorists
as the best form of learning (Squire, 2011, p.12). Although after the learners
have played the game a group discussion could follow, this method of engagement
is not as effective because the teacher would be leading the learners toward a
conclusion, thus preventing true innovation (Steinkuehler & Duncan, 2008,
p. 541).
Many may think that putting people
into teams is what makes WoW a
valuable tool towards teambuilding. If this was so, this could be accomplished
by just putting people in the same room, but, as experience shows, this is not
enough for them to work together. Steinkuehler &
Duncan (2008, p. 534) found that WoW helps
a team develop the ability to build on others’ ideas. This is extremely useful
because by restating or summarizing accurately what others have said, or asking
for clarification or elaboration, true communication (the cornerstone of an
effective team) can develop. WoW can
also help foster interdepartmental communication by teaching the player how to
understand feedback (2008, p. 534). This skill was found to help the learner view
their department as a system and how its components relate to each other by
demonstrating how “change in one component’s state can result in changes in
another component’s state. This includes relationships among components within
a system or between systems” (2008, p. 534).
References
Squire, K. (2011). Video games and learning:
Teaching and participatory culture in the digital age. New York, NY:
Teachers College Press.
Steinkuehler, C., & Duncan, S. (2008). Scientific
habits of mind in virtual worlds. Journal
of Science Education & Technology, 17(6), 530–543.
The amount of unity and team building that MMO's provide can be endless... From quick "Pick-up groups" to complete a quest that needs extra assistance, conversing with guild members, and helping them out with trade skills, advice for how to properly "build" their characters, as well as interacting with groups for dungeons, (5 man groups, 20 man groups) and the wide variety of player vs. player combat, which involves a deep strategy and knowledge of game mechanics and team/group collaboration.
ReplyDeleteSocializing, and team building activities can be plentiful in MMO's like World of Warcraft.
-Ben