NoviCraft testing the functionality of groups. A solo effort is enough neither in a game or in life itself.

NoviCraft is the world’s first multiplayer game designed specifically for team and leadership coaching. The objective is to escape from a prison island by collectively solving problems and tricky situations. The game published by TeamingStream and developed by LudoCraft emphasises discourse, interaction and problem solving skills.

– For a trainer or consultant, this is an excellent medium of evaluating and teaching both managers and teams. The game emphasises issues connected with managing people and teams. It is an outstanding tool for training steering groups or boosting the work of multicultural teams, as well as personnel training and recruitment, Development Manager Tomi Väisänen from TeamingStream summarises about the benefits.

Failure allowed

Game technology has never previously been applied to a multiplayer 3D environment utilising leadership and pedagogic knowledge. NoviCraft truly is a unique environment, in which game participants can train their leadership and teamwork skills in practice.

On the other hand, the purpose is to utilise the game in job interview situations, for example. Many people can answer interview questions correctly, but a game like this forces the interviewee to give a truthful image of him/herself.

– Nowadays team players are sought for every job, almost without exception. Since NoviCraft is so captivating, it is really hard to play a role in it, or maintain one for very long. This is why it is easy to see how a person really acts in recruiting situations, explains Johanna Bluemink, a researcher of learning, who has been involved with creating the game for years.

NoviCraft has been developed by games professionals together with researchers of education and learning. Thus the game can give truthful results of how a team collaborates and what areas might have room for improvement.

– The game captivates the players and psychological barriers are broken. There is also more freedom to fail than in actual working life. Our purpose is not to categorise people but to illustrate their roles through game situations. Playing increases each player’s consciousness of his or her own skills, says Bluemink.

NoviCraft represents the new genre of awareness games. The game increases the player’s awareness of him/herself and the processes influencing the groups. The game situation brings forth the operating models of each group, and already during the game the player is awakened to a consciousness of his or her significance as a member of the group. A reflection session held by an expert after the game helps the players absorb what they have learned. When this is coupled with training, a genuine interaction is created to transfer the learning awakened by the game into the workplace and everyday activities. The game as a medium brings forth issues that would otherwise be difficult to process.

The reception of NoviCraft as a training method has been good particularly in large organisations, such as Microsoft, UPM and Elisa. The game is used as a part of service entities offered by consulting firms, but it can also be purchased directly from TeamingStream.

• www.teamingstream.com www.ludocraft.com