MARK LIGHT
IT Manager III - GameWinner: 2009 British Interactive Media Association award (Best B2B), shortlisted for NMA effectiveness awards 2009 & Winner: Intel Innovation Grand Prix Award 2011.
Running from 2008-2012 with over 100,000 players worldwide.
My role as Interaction Director encompassed all aspects of UI/UX for the game and supporting campaign.
Unseen Forces was a web-based IT simulation game in which the player managed an IT department in a corporate environment. The player had to ensure that employees' desktop PCs, laptops and servers kept running smoothly. There were dozens of software and hardware faults to tackle of varying complexity.
As the company grew, it placed increasing demands on IT departments, and the player had to ensure that the technologies were rolled out to take the strain. Upgraded and new technologies reduced maintenance costs, increased security and made employees happier and more productive.
The game spanned eight levels, each representing a bigger office with greater challenges.
Technologies within the game mapped onto real-world technologies that Intel offered. These were applied by 'loading up' the glove from a menu and releasing them onto the stage, to solve various IT problems. (The essence of this functionality shown in the initial wireframes below).
"For several years, we used “IT Manager 3: Unseen Forces” as an experiential learning tool, where students had to act as a manager making real-time prioritization decisions about repairing computer problems, training and upgrading systems with better technologies as well as managing increasing numbers of technical staff as the game progresses. We found that this experience was useful for students to reflect upon and apply several IT management theories learned in their online Management Information Systems class.
"
- Rowe School of Business