What have games got to do with me

Researchers are often busy people, who are under significant time pressure and managing hefty workloads. It can therefore be a challenge for them to find the time to engage with the myriad requirements and opportunities that are relevant to what they do. Over recent years, games that are intended to foster engagement with good research practice, skills and knowledge have created a bit of a buzz among my peers. The question is whether games can help to facilitate the efficient sharing of information and provision of services between research support staff and researchers, easing the dissemination of best practice, skills and knowledge throughout the community. An additional question is whether such games can also serve as useful tools when used only within the research support community, to help identify gaps in the knowledge and services of research support staff.