Got game?

Someone from China Telecom came over to my place this morning and installed a new ADSL line into my apartment. They would not allow us to upgrade the existing line, so this was the only way to get a faster connection. The new line is suppose to be a 1.5mb line, but when I test the internet speed it comes up as only 60kbs. Pretty damn pitiful. It's about half the speed of my internet connection in Dalian, which I thought was too slow.

I am still having trouble connecting to my work networks from home, but I do not think it is a problem with the connection speed. I'm still trying to figure out what that problem is.

Actually, the really bad thing about the slow connection is how difficult is makes it to play Everquest 2. Now, if you're thinking that it might be a good thing if I gave up my games then you would be wrong, and even IBM agrees with me...

IBM gets game

From an email sent out by IBM Corporate Communications this morning:

"According to new IBM research which looked at technology, business and societal trends and issues, online videogames help people become better corporate leaders by fostering skills related to collaboration, self-organisation, risk-taking, openness, influence, and communications."

And there's more...

"Nearly half of gamers polled believe that game-playing has improved their real-world leadership capabilities. Three-quarters believe that the tools used in games to collaborate and connect can be applied to enhance leadership effectiveness for the globally integrated enterprise. That's because massively multiplayer online games enable thousands of players to interact, compete and collaborate with one another in real time. Players must make rapid-fire decisions based on multiple and constantly shifting inputs. Invariably, certain individuals emerge to set direction and shape the success of others. What's more, leadership is often temporal, quickly shifting from one person to another as the course of action dictates."

And IBM is not the only one...

IBM's Management Games

While IBM's research may be aimed at helping to build its own consulting business, it comes at a time when there's a flurry of corporate experimentation in games. McKinsey & Co. is using video games to test recruits for leadership potential and assess their team-building style. Royal Philips Electronics (PHG) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), meanwhile, are using multiplayer games to improve collaboration between far-flung divisions, as well as between managers and their overseas underlings.

Now, if only IBM would pay me to level up my swashbuckler.

Update: I got my connection to work fixed.