Play a game, get a job.
Knack, a start-up, has released Happy Hour, a game designed to test the cognitive skills employers might want, including emotional intelligence, comfort with risk, and flexibility. Playing the short game can give employers as much info about you as extensive interviewing. (Just try convincing the HR people, though.)
Turns out that a gaming environment is a great place for getting a handle on all sorts of things.
Some are interesting, indirect byproducts of playing games intended for other purposes (like fun — go figure).
There is some evidence that playing Tetris can help reduce PTSD. Video games are being used to help children on the autism spectrum explore social responses and develop coordination.
And some are designed as learning tools, such as the new game to help doctors determine when patients are exhibiting drug seeking behavior.
A few have even larger ambitions. Mindbloom seeks to help you make your entire life better (no small feat), as does Jane McGonigal’s SuperBetter. (And, no, Purists, the games don’t have to be digital. There is some evidence that old fashioned brain teasers can help smokers develop addiction resistant behaviors.)
Future employers, Knack hasn’t yet sent me the secret passcode to play Happy Hour, but I’m sure it will show all sorts of skills you need at your organization, even though my drink-mixing knowledge doesn’t extend much beyond “gin and tonic.”