Jim Piechocki - Gamifying Amazon AI

The Gamification Quest

In the case of the project that is the topic of today’s podcast, Jim Piechocki woke up a dreadfully dull IT classification process training with a post-apocalyptic superhero story he had pitched years ago to Marvel about The Technicals, an alien race that takes over and outsources Earth. The gameplay: You must learn how to create a keyword class to rescue Amazon and save the planet.

About our Guest:

Jim is a member of a small but growing breed of ATD-licensed developers who start with the acting talent, the humor, the broadcast-quality imagery, and entertainment value. He worked as a gag-writer for comic Tim Allen in Detroit, who taught him how to pare down physical comedy and dialog for maximum impact. His writing teachers Harlan Ellison and Walter Hill (The Terminator, 48 Hours) drilled into him the importance of getting it right in the first draft. Working on staff for Filmation on the He-Man and The Masters of the Universe cartoon TV series, he learned the writer actually directs the animation. And he has found that everything from Greek, Roman, Viking and Indian mythology, can provide ongoing inspiration for gamified learning.