Influence of Video Games on Design

The photo at left shows a sample interior of a new Mercedes Benz concept car. Notice something missing?

The Benz does not have a traditional steering wheel. Instead, there is a joystick. Ready for that? Are you ready to navigate rush-hour traffic on the freeway at 70 mph via joystick?

The next time you are about to nag your kid to put away the X-box or Playstation, pause for a second and consider that he just might be sharpening his driving skills. Or maybe he's cultivating skills that will be the driving elements of success in the next-generation workplace.

What if the future of software and productivity tools for business are more like video games and less like documents? Perhaps the new business tools will emulate 3-D spaces and virtual worlds, instead of mimicking the paper trails of old.

It could happen. In fact, I kinda hope it does.