From Sim City to Switzerland: Meet the team behind the technology

Wondering why some elements of Simulcation Datacenter look familiar? That’s probably because some of us – the team behind the technology – have worked on some of the most popular simulation gaming titles.

Devised in partnership with IBM, Simulcation Datacenter was started by my husband and I, with the original aim of bringing IBM TSS education programs to life through simulations that showed products in action. We now lead a team of experts drawn from the gaming, simulation, education and IT industries.

A bit about me: I’m Simulcation’s CEO and an entrepreneur. I’ve managed the development of several popular games, e-learning systems and applications. I’ve had the pleasure of leading multiple teams and clients, and specialize in bringing new, disruptive technologies to market. Simulcation Datacenter, as the first tool of its kind, is no different.

Duncan is Simulcation’s COO – the culmination of more than 20 years at the creative helm of a broad range of entertainment, business and consumer products. He’s worked on The Sims, Sim City, Monopoly Here & Now and a wide variety of other games and applications.

Now based in Switzerland, we’ve assembled a talented team of professionals who, in collaboration with IBM’s technical expertise in the IT infrastructure industry, have developed a groundbreaking datacenter simulation: Simulcation Datacenter. I’m immensely proud of it and hope you’ll join us on the journey – contact us to hear more.

Arlette Pond, Simulcation CEO

Comments

IBM using Simulcation as part of their TSS Academy

IBM has now fully integrated Simulcation Datacenter into their Technical Support Services Academy, training Europe’s IBMers and Business Partners by immersing them in a unique simulated environment. It’s unlike anything else they’ve used before. We’re proud to provide a bespoke version of our Simulcation Datacenter edition to IBM, transforming the way they educate staff and Business Partner alike as part of their refreshed TSS Academy. Simulation meets gamification Simulcation makes education relevant, engaging and challenging by combining simulated challenges datacenter managers and CIOs face daily, as well as gamification elements to incentivize learning and collaboration. Users must discover their own strategies and solutions, finding the right balance of hardware, software and services as well as battling downtime, cyberattacks and product failures. The result is a well-rounded, fully immersive educational environment where users leave with a thorough knowledge of real...

Why having fun deserves to be taken seriously

Gaming is often blamed as a source of distraction, putting our children (and us) off doing something more productive or educational. But, according to numerous studies and experts in the emerging field of ‘edutainment’, what actually makes games enjoyable is the built-in learning process . The theory is that when we are actively engaging with a game, our minds are grappling with its parameters – and that this is true of everything from Angry Birds , through World of Warcraft and FAA-approved flight simulators. You don’t have to look far to see this principle in action. I was helping my son – then eight years old – with his homework one day. The weather was glorious and he was struggling to focus on his work, protesting that he wanted to go and play outside instead. And that was it: the gap between learning and play; the divide between what seems unengaging and laborious and what’s fun and engaging. That really started us on our journey to creating simulations that aid pro...

Gamification in 2017 – so what now?

Coined first in 2002 and then popularized in 2010, ‘gamification’ has been steadily on the rise ever since. Used to define the way developers were incorporating social and reward techniques from gaming into other types of software, it caught the eye of venture capitalists the world over and was reportedly mentioned in half of presentations by software application companies seeking funding. So, nearly a decade on, where are we now? Where has gamification taken us, and where will it go next? A short past One of the organizers of the first conference on gamification, Gabe Zichermann , predicted: ‘in a gamified future, I don’t think many companies, including the government, will be able to avoid becoming part of this trend. I think consumers will increasingly expect and demand that experiences become more fun and engaging. We can never ever go backward. People’s expectations have been reset. This will be the new normal.’ Gamification as a conscious technique has b...

SIMULCATION BLOG

Search This Blog