Classic computer games never get old. People will always find a way to play their favorite games. If it's playing Quake I on your PocketPC, slinging bananas at each over in Gorillas, or firing up Windows 3.11 in VirtualPC to play SkiFree. Virtual PC Guy linked over to The Most Officialest SkiFree Home Page! where you can get a 32bit build of this classic game. I didn't have this game on my first windows machine (386SX - Windows 3.0), but if I recall correctly I first played it on my friend Tony's screaming fast 486DX (we both had Packard Bell's at the time...who didn't?)...

Scoot over World of Warcraft, I gotta see if I can outrun the Abominable Snow Monster this time.

 

 

A coworker, who is a big fan of WOW, sent me this link. It describes how MMORPGs provide "experiential learning" in a safe environment. Meaning you put together a team of players to slay the dragon, you fail and your character dies. In real life you'd be dead (and in real life it wouldn't be a dragon but perhaps a team of coworkers to solve the budget crisis and it wouldn't be dead but maybe fired). In your virtual life you continue and form another team while learing from your mistakes. The cost of failure was very low. IRL, you will certainly continue trying and learing from your experiences, but the costs are much higher.

Anyways, the article talks about a recent hire for Yahoo! and how he used he experience building a large online guild online to highlight his IT management skillz IRL. A quick interesting read.

Better living through video games?

I thought I felt dumberer once I left college.  Apparently, people who play video games are helping to keep their minds sharp.  All night fragfests here I come!