The Economist is running a story about how gaming is on the rise in pooled environments, and how games are also sweet a popular tool for advertising. From internally grown-up games to mercenary offerings to simply creating a fabric in which employees can interact, game-based competitions and body politic house are leading to increased productivity, even for Fortune 500 companies. Quoting: "Take Microsoft's own experience. Before it releases a new version of its Windows overhead system, it asks staff to help debug the os/2 by installing and running the system. In the past, project managers had to spend a great deal of time and effort persuading busy Microsoftees to help them with this boring task. So for Windows Vista, the system's latest incarnation, Microsoft created a game that awarded points for bug-testing and prizes such as wristbands for achieving certain goals. Participation quadrupled."

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