When I was a kid a remember begging my Mom to let me go over to my friend’s house so I could play Pitfall on Atari. I loved that game. Then Nintendo came along and once again I was begging to go over to my friend’s house to play Tecmo Bowl and later Super Tecmo Bowl (which I still consider the greatest video game ever).

Now it seems that video games are now longer just a way to waste time after school (although I am sure my Mom would still argue this point). In fact they seem to becoming more of a part of the business world every day.

In the October issue of Training Magazine they have an article on Games and Simulations. Particularly they talk about how companies are using a virtual simulation game called Second Life. This game allows people to create a character which can interact with other characters in the game and truly live a second life. You can even put characters in certain situations, such as dealing with an irate customer, to give them virtual experience before dealing with the live thing.

In the spirit of full disclosure I have never been on Second Life. However many companies are using it to help with various training initiatives such as orientation, onboarding, collaboration, and mentoring. I wasn’t surprised to read about companies like Apple or IBM using Second Life in training, but Wells Fargo and Stapoil (A Norwegian Oil Company) have trainings built into this program as well. If the usage of these companies wasn’t enough of a reason to take notice they also talked about Second Life on a recent episode of the Office (so you know it has really arrived).

Even people who doubted the “importance” of these new types of media in the business world seem to be changing their mind. It was not to long ago that Microsoft President Steve Ballmer stated that he thought social networking sites were just a fad. Then Microsoft goes out and buys a substantial stake into Facebook (a social networking site). Who knows what to believe any more?

Virtual worlds seem to be growing all around me. Whether it is social networking sites like MySpace or LinkedIn to virtual worlds such as Second Life, we seem to be headed towards a virtual life. It is no longer about trying to jump over a pit of snakes or pretending I’m Bo Jackson. These new bred of games are becoming more intertwined into the corporate world.

I find myself longing for a time were all you needed to know is the code up – up, down – down, left – right, left – right, A – B, A –B, select, start and you would live forever (Contra was another great Nintendo game).

What do you think? Are these virtual worlds a fad or the future of business?