Friday File: Game on, students 21 April, 2005 By Chris Talbot

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Enter Cisco Systems and its Learning Game Trilogy. According to a press release from the networking giant that crossed the Friday File desk this week, it's estimated that the e-learning market will hit a whopping $6.6 billion (U.S.) this year, and by 2006, it's going to be valued at $23.7 billion (U.S.). Apparently some of that coin will come from muscling in on the video game publishing racket.

We here at a the Friday File got a bit of a chuckle when we read the names of Rockin' Retailer, Network Defenders and SAN Rover. They just don't quite have the same impact as Doom, EverQuest or -- dare I say? -- even Pong, do they?

Obviously, each of the game titles is meant to suggest a connection to various Cisco technologies. The company explains: "Rockin' Retailer enables users to learn the benefits of IP Communication solutions while addressing issues with communication, inventory and customer service. Network Defenders tests networking knowledge and allows users to learn how to defend against relentless security attacks. With SAN Rover, players traverse Mars in a Rover building a Storage Area Network (SAN). High scores for all games are recorded and displayed for other gamers."

Sadly, the games are restricted to those on the inside of the Cisco loop. The games are available to people with Cisco.com login IDs. For those in the club, they can visit the site, log in and enjoy.

While IP telephony, SANs and security are all well and good, the Friday File offers its own ideas to budding video game develops in the IT sector:

Lords of Silicon Valley -- In the same vein as real-time strategy games like WarCraft and Lords of EverQuest comes Lords of Silicon Valley. Select your facility locations, hire your troops and send them against the enemy. Last company standing wins.

SimVAR -- First there was SimCity, then SimAnt, SimFarm, The Sims, etc., etc., ad infinitum, and then about a thousand copy-cats. SimVAR puts you in the role that you know so well. Manage resources, calculate ROI on the fly and explain how the "networking doohickey" works to the attention-demanding customer.

Competitor Annihilation -- No matter who you, competitors are always trying to take away your business. In the style of Doom, Wolfenstein and Unreal Tournament comes Competitor Annihilation, because competitors can't do business if they're dead. Friday File takes no responsibility for your jail terms if you take this idea too literally.

Cabela's Big Customer Hunter -- Learn how to spot, track and take down a customer in record time with this anything-goes title. Be educated on how to spot a Linux user from a Windows user from a Mac user.