Video Games in HR?

Video game design is a hot field for students to go into.
There aren't a ton of jobs or companies out there as of now, however you don't have to design the next "Call of Duty" game to make a good living. Games are now starting to be used in all walks of life. Even HR as proved by the following article by Bart Perkins from Computerworld.com:
Want a job? Bring your game!

Standardized personality tests have long been accepted tools for employee selection. Games, however, must take care to comply with government hiring regulations. In the U.S., candidate selection games must contain job-related content and provide consistent experience for all applicants. Games that include branches and other options are prohibited. Training games have fewer compliance restrictions. Different experiences are allowed, as long as the game is used to improve job performance and is not the basis for promotion or compensation.

However, there are hurdles. Many companies have been hesitant to adopt HR games, believing games are merely frivolous time wasters that are inappropriate in the workplace. And HR policies often specifically prohibit playing games on company time or company-provided computers. Additionally, people over 40 typically have limited gaming skills, particularly those related to spatial relations or joy-stick dexterity. (My daughter humiliates me at Mario Kart!) Older applicants may find games intimidating, since they don't know how to use Wii's A and B buttons or Xbox's X and Y conventions. So qualified individuals with pertinent experience may be overlooked.

Well-designed games promote employee retention by providing candidates with accurate previews of job activities. Improved understanding sets realistic expectations and can cut short-term turnover in half. Games also create the perception that a company is progressive, desirable and a fun place to work, particularly for younger people.

HR games are still in their infancy. A number of companies have begun offering them, with most coming from widely different starting points. Employment Technologies uses its long history in industrial organizational testing to provide skills-based simulations in training and development games. Qube Learning studies the motivators that make people want to play particular games. Previsor, formed from a merger of Qwiz, ePredix and Personnel Decisions Research Institute, provides technology-enabled tools supporting hiring, promotion and development. Beginning as a temporary staffing provider to call centers, FurstPerson has expanded its offering to include candidate testing and management.

Overall, games are good news for overworked and understaffed HR organizations. Games provide a highly effective way to identify the most promising candidates from a large applicant pool. In addition, training games provide hands-on practice for real-world situations, without spilling any milk or dropping any French fries.