E-sport Meets Corporate: Leadership Lessons from Video Games for the Workplace. The decision-making skills and creative thinking you pick up while playing video games can teach you how to experiment and plan scenarios, which come in handy in the workplace when you’re looking for a job or trying to climb the corporate ladder. When the creativity you use in gaming is applied to work, the skills and passion you gain while playing can boost productivity and open up long-term success opportunities.
Since the first game consoles came out decades ago, gaming has historically been seen as a time-waster. But recent research shows that video games can help you develop valuable skills you can apply at work. There’s solid evidence that the problem-solving and leadership skills you gain from gaming can help you land a job and advance your career goals.
As video games become more accessible and popular, highlighting certain skills on your resume and job applications is more accepted and even beneficial. With more people spending time on smartphones and other wireless devices, mobile gaming continues to rise, signaling that video games are here to stay for future generations.
There are tons of benefits to using digital technology, proven by the fact that organizations or even individuals who are quick to adopt and maximize it can gain a competitive edge. Just look at startups or social media celebs who’ve mastered digital tech—they’re achieving big success, and this trend isn’t slowing down.
Leadership Lessons from Video Games
Here are some skills you can transfer from gaming to your career to help you get a job, raise, or promotion
Collaboration
Back in the day, video games were mostly solo activities, which sometimes led to isolation and antisocial behavior. But now, with online multiplayer games, playing with or against real people has changed the game’s dynamic, opening up new benefits for players.
Communication tech lets gamers compete and collaborate with others online, creating situations where teamwork is key to achieving goals. One study even found a 20% productivity boost after coworkers played video games together for just 45 minutes.
Problem-Solving
Gamer time isn’t wasted. Even though they often fail, gamers are great at quickly creating solutions to overcome obstacles. That constant failure makes them push harder to complete tasks in the game, which becomes a valuable asset when tackling work responsibilities.
Problem-solving needs vary depending on your job, but being able to solve problems effectively and efficiently is a super valuable skill, both on and off the job. Role-playing, puzzle, and strategy games develop problem-solving abilities that can help advance your career and boost your leadership potential.
Social Skills
Online and mobile games offer meaningful social connections for users with other gamers. Most gamers now play, interact, compete, and collaborate with others directly, with half of them gaming with people they don’t know outside of the game. For many, multiplayer video games act as social media, connecting, communicating, and sharing with others.
Lifelong friendships and partnerships are often formed through gaming, and groups of players often extend their relationships beyond the game world. Playing live with others forces players to communicate and collaborate, which leads to the development of social and leadership skills that are useful in everyday life and the workplace.
Strategic Planning
High-speed strategy video games train your brain to react fast and strengthen your strategic thinking skills. Real-time strategy games push better decision-making processes, helping players think, strategize, and act on the go, all while learning from past mistakes.
Creative problem-solving requires quick thinking and adaptability to overlapping priorities. The strategic planning needed for many modern multiplayer and strategy video games forces players to react quickly while thinking a few steps ahead. This flexibility in thinking is valuable for juggling multiple tasks and solving problems, making it a great skill to apply in personal and professional settings.
Leadership
A 2017 study showed that playing digital games positively impacts a player’s ability to develop leadership skills that will serve them throughout their careers. Like any competitive activity, online multiplayer games require players to step into leadership roles, guiding their teams to success. These games allow players to develop organizational and leadership skills while learning self-control and communication tactics that influence those around them.
Pattern Recognition
Learning pattern recognition is a key skill for a wide range of careers. Traditional and digital games often involve creating, identifying, and predicting patterns. From basic games like tic-tac-toe or Connect Four to classic arcade games like Tetris or simple mobile games like Candy Crush, recognizing and responding to patterns quickly is the key to progressing or winning.
This life skill is essential for many career paths. Professions like sales, psychology, medicine, academia, and law all rely on pattern recognition as part of the job.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is a valuable skill for everyday life, work situations, and especially for those in leadership roles. One of the biggest draws of video games is the ability to play as a different character. This helps players develop empathy for others and forces them to find ways to resolve conflicts from alternative, often enlightening, perspectives. Real-time strategy and role-playing games develop negotiation and dispute resolution skills that can be applied in academic, work, and personal life.
Maximize Your Gaming for Career Growth
Playing video games with the mindset that you’re developing valuable skills while gaming can help you maximize the benefits. The latest gaming accessories can enhance your enjoyment and sharpen your skills even further, helping you land a job or move forward in your career.
Playing the latest games on the newest devices with the most up-to-date accessories helps you get the most out of gaming. As more studies are published, the link between gaming and workplace productivity becomes clearer. Video games can help develop and refine valuable life skills that can give you the career boost you need.
E-sport Meets Corporate: Leadership Lessons from Video Games for the Workplace
#Video games in the workplace
