New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:

Using advanced gaming technology for leadership skills acquisition has been the subject of a debate over the last decade. The benefits of "soft skills" games have been repeatedly highlighted in literature, mostly illustrating success stories of business education programs. Due to the fragmented nature of research on game-based training, the movement towards using games for soft and higher-order skills training for military leadership has been relatively cautious. Nevertheless, the need to provide modern leadership with effective training opportunities continues to drive innovation within the simulation and training industry. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills remain some of the most challenging areas of higher-order skills training. This paper discusses an experimental approach of using advanced gaming technology to develop instructional simulations to teach these skills to the Navy leadership. Special attention is paid to the discussion of the design and development issues as well as the challenges of ensuring the knowledge transfer.