Gaming technology changing IT and society

The Christian Science Monitor recently posted an article about the effects of video games on society. The article, by Gloria Goodale, notes what a lot of IT folks have known for years: Gaming technology drives advances in other IT fields, particularly hardware. Look at Cell, the multicore chip co-developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM. Sony needs it for its next-generation gaming console, the PlayStation 3, but IBM plans to use the chip to create a high-performance workstation  capable of 16 teraflops per second. Computerworld and the Washington Post have also examined how 3D technology is very important to the military, which uses it for recruitment, training and battlefield apps.

But gaming is not just about faster chips and specialized 3D apps. Immersive gaming environments and online communities have been around for about 10 years now, and I would venture that younger people will see the world through the lens of their gaming experiences, much in the way that people now see the world through what they've learned or seen on television and in movies.

In the CSM article, Goodale quotes experts who see a different societal mindset coming into being: 

"We have a whole new generation of game players who are going to be the prime engine of our economy and society," says Robert Andersen of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. "These are the people who will be writing our books, interpreting history, becoming scholars and doctors. It's too late to marginalize the gamer now; the industry is imbedded in the fabric of our society."

Later, Goodale quotes Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA):

 "Online games have the potential to transform entertainment into a global-community exercise, breaking down borders, cultural and language barriers, and even political prejudices," says the ESA's Lowenstein.

It would be interesting to take a poll of people who work in IT, and see how many of them are casual or serious gamers. I would guess the rate is high, especially for people who are under 35 and have been exposed to 2D video games since they were children. 

But in ten years, I would expect numbers to be up across all age groups. In the year 2015, among people in their 20s and 30s, I would anticipate immersive online environments -- gaming and non-gaming simulations -- would be a part of daily life, like TV is now. How will that affect the way they interact with each other, and do their jobs?