Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Play at Work by Adam L. Penenberg - Available

Play at Work

How Games Inspire Breakthrough Thinking

by Adam L. Penenberg
Tim Andres Pabon
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
Do games hold the secret to better productivity?
If you've ever found yourself engrossed in Angry Birds, Call of Duty, or a plain old crossword puzzle when you should have been doing something more productive, you know how easily games hold our attention. Hardcore gamers have spent the equivalent of 5.93 million years playing World of Warcraft while the world collectively devotes about 5 million hours per day to Angry Birds. A colossal waste of time? Perhaps. But what if we could tap into all the energy, engagement, and brainpower that people are already expending and use it for more creative and valuable pursuits?
Harnessing the power of games sounds like a New-Age fantasy, or at least a fad that's only for hip start-ups run by millennials in Silicon Valley. But according to Adam L. Penenberg, the use of smart game design in the workplace and beyond is taking hold in every sector of the economy, and the companies that apply it are witnessing unprecedented results. "Gamification" isn't just for consumers
chasing reward points anymore. It's transforming, well, just about everything.
Penenberg explores how, by understanding the way successful games are designed, we can apply them to become more efficient, come up with new ideas, and achieve even the most daunting goals. He shows how game mechanics are being applied to make employees happier and more motivated, improve worker safety, create better products, and improve customer service.
For example, Microsoft has transformed an essential but mind-numbing task—debugging software—into a game by having employees compete and collaborate to find more glitches in less time. Meanwhile, Local Motors, an independent automaker based in Arizona, crowdsources designs from car enthusiasts all over the world by having them compete for money and recognition within the community. As a result, the company was able to bring a cutting-edge vehicle to market in less time and at far less cost than the Big Three automakers.
These are just two examples of companies that have tapped the characteristics that make games so addictive and satisfying. Penenberg also takes us inside organizations that have introduced play at work to train surgeons, aid in physical therapy, translate the Internet, solve vexing scientific riddles, and digitize books from the nineteenth century. Drawing on the latest brain science as well as his firsthand reporting from these cutting-edge companies, Penenberg offers a powerful solution for businesses and organizations of all stripes and sizes.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 1, 2013

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781469057149
      • File size: 246641 KB
      • Duration: 08:33:50

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 4, 2013
      PandoDaily.com editor Penenberg (Viral Loop) sets out to help break the cycle of negativity in the work place, claiming that the integration of gaming into workflow can create a more productive, happy, and motivated workforce, and lead to higher profits. Here, he discusses some of the neuroscience behind the benefits of games, exploring why our brains respond so well to play, and providing examples of how it has responded well in the past. He cites the success of Weight Watchers and fantasy football as dependent on some integration of gamification. The book's highlights include sections explaining the social satisfaction of gaming, from life-simplifying inventions for "common, everyday struggles," to video games such as Angry Birds and World of Warcraft, and processes whereby Nintendo Wii has helped rehabilitate injuries, as well as an exploration of how even the simplest point systems can provide necessary motivation. Intense and dense, Penenberg's hat tip to Gabe Zimmerman ("Game mechanics cannot solve fundamental business problems") is a reminder that, though game mechanics is not the ultimate solution, it can help us all work better.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading
Check Out What's Being Checked Out Right Now