Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- The game tsunami : who plays, how much, and why -- "Work sucks" : corporate problems that games might solve -- Ten ingredients of great games -- Virtual people -- Virtual money -- Virtual teams -- Virtual leaders -- Play is not the opposite of work -- Caught between fact and fiction -- Danger -- Tactics for change.

The strong psychological power of games can have both positive and negative consequences for the workplace. That's why it's important to put them into practice correctly from the beginning--and Reeves and Read explain how by showing which good design principles are a powerful antidote to the addictive and stress-inducing potential of games.