When work becomes a game discusses the correlation between playing MMOGs and working in the real world (thanks Mike Martinez). The article, based on comments from IBM metaverse evangelist Ian Hughes, and Seriosity (a company that applies game elements to workplaces) founder Dr. Byron Reeves, discusses how skills running guilds can apply to the workplace, but also outlines how game mechanics can help workers play better together:

Convinced that games can help them thrive some companies have turned work groups into guilds, rewarded staff with experience points when they complete tasks, giving out titles and badges when a guild finished a project and portraying objectives as quests.

Virtual worlds could become key to future business life Some were also considering using a virtual currency as a reward system allowing workers to cash in their savings for benefits or extras for their office space. The top performing guilds also get to do the best projects.

None, so far, he said, were tying wages to how people performed in the quests and against other guilds.

"Mapping levels and points on to wages is the most extreme application," he said.