The New York Times published an intriguing article over the weekend entitled 'Why Work Is Looking More Like a Video Game', which tries to point out that games can teach software a lot of things about motivation and usability - or something like that?

Of course, you only have to wait for the first paragraph for overt implications of games being juvenile: "Paul Johnston has remade his company on the idea that business software will work better if it feels like a game. Mr. Johnston is not some awkward adolescent, but the polished president and chief executive of Entellium, which makes software for customer relationship management."

The gaming comparisons continue: "Rave isn’t exactly the business version of Madden N.F.L., at least not yet. But Craig K. Hall, president of Logos Marketing Inc., a graphics company in Albany, said it reminded him of video games he has played, like the Legend of Zelda. Mr. Hall, 31, says he likes the way Rave pops up information, including news that will matter to clients." This is all a little tenuous, to be honest, but it then wanders into a decent discussion of serious games, so hey!