The End of the Rainbow: In search of crossing points between organizations and play

Abstract

Against the backdrop of an unstable economic and social environment, managers and scholars of organization have been taking an increasing interest in computer games as a source of inspiration. This paper reviews three perspectives that have been taken when attempting to enrich organizations with elements of computer games. We consider the design of computer games to be the most interesting of the three perspectives and present two case studies in which game design principles were applied in an organizational setting. The studies show the value of such a design process as an instrument for exploring a complex organizational system. Furthermore, the use of isolated game elements in a finite organizational context was shown to be an effective way to create effects such as transparency and curiosity.