Professor Mark Griffiths (2002) has found that there is an incredible list of positive attributes of playing video games to support the idea that it would make a positive contribution to education. He believes that video games are “fun and stimulating for the participants. Consequently, it is easier to achieve and maintain a person’s undivided attention for long periods of time” (Griffith 2002, p. 47). Businesses have recognised the potential of gaming as a strategy to attract more customers, and some have incorporated this element into their publicity campaigns to increase consumer engagement, as well as inform them.

Investorville 2011, ‘Play Investorville’, Commonwealth Bank Australia, viewed 29 August 2011, <https://www.investorville.com.au/>

Investorville is an online game by the Commonwealth Bank, which allows investors to simulate real life risks and rewards to make informed decisions on their future housing investments. Having worked on the public relations launch campaign for this game, the Commonwealth Bank was seeking to garner interaction with investors through gamifaction. This tactic plays with the idea of participatory culture (Flew 2005) to generate affiliation, expression, collaboration and circulation about the product, as well as the brand. Along with publicity, The Commonwealth Bank  also uses the online gaming experience as a unique communication tool for informing potential clients about the possible risks and benefits that is involved with investing in different areas. Demonstrating Griffith’s idea, Investorville informs the player by holding onto their attention for a longer period of time.

Trumping previous misconceptions about gaming, Investorville is a great example of how games could be used as an information and marketing tool. It is a technology that is heavily incorporated in human society, and is a more tangible instance of how technology has been absorbed by humans for a human need. Thus, technology is not a stand-alone product of science, but a cultural item in society.