Joi Ito has an excellent video presentation on Google Video discussing how games like the World of Warcraft can teach us more about community building and teamwork which we can then take and utilize within the real world (such as in our work environments).
One of the things I’ve realized though is I haven’t found a single MBA who is good at leadership in this situation. Most of the people who are good at leading here are people who are good at listening. It’s actually very similar to leadership in open source.
I honestly believe that games have the potential to be so much more than just about fun. A young fox cub chasing a butterfly through a field is more than just having fun. It is learning how to hunt. So too do games have the opportunity to teach us more about ourselves, which we can then take back into the real world. It seems like some companies already understand this transferability of experience and knowledge though, as there have been articles on the subject already.