10 business skills you can learn from playing games
I’m truly passionate about games.
Not simply playing games, though I do that as well, but also understanding the mechanics (how they work). Making a games mechanism transition from “interesting” to “fun” is particularly fascinating. There are a lot of fascinating games out there, but the jump from interesting too entertaining is often a chasm.
But what can video games teach us about our day jobs and our business products? I believe a lot.
When “newly minted” product managers are asked what the most essential aspect of product ideation is, they prefer to say producing a product that is relevant to the customer (the “job to be done” as it were).
However, once they enter a more traditional enterprise they are often met with resistance from executives who often have strongly held opinions and want to know how “the idea” benefits the company. Instead, the new product manager may find themselves being asked not to create a new product but use an existing company product in a way that benefits the consumer. More often than not, that company product didn’t go through the same rigorous ideation process and now you own it.
It’s at these times I find myself mentoring a product managers, that have to balance both of those worlds, to be successful. It’s not enough to just be the product champion, but you also must work within the internal (your company) and external business (competition) landscape.
This is not easy.
So, I present some of the benefits that come from game playing and how they could (whether you realize it or not) make you better at your product manager job.
Planning
SimCity creator Maxis, claims that their iconic game has motivated gamers to pursue careers as city planners and architects. The game, which requires players to construct a successful metropolis from the ground up, provides an entertaining method for players to learn about public transit, taxes, pollution, and the cost of living. SimCity has published more than dozens of books to entice people to pursue a profession in urban planning, according to the American Planning Organization, a trade association for urban planners.
Memory
The Uncharted series, for example, has been related to improved working short-term memory. A study published in the journal Psychological Research in 2011 found evidence that people who played first-person shooter games were better at determining what information should be stored in their working memory and what information was no longer relevant to the task at hand.
Accuracy
In today’s fast-paced environment, effective personnel must be able to move rapidly while maintaining precision. According to a research from the University of Rochester, action games like the Call of Duty franchise can cause gamers to make faster judgments without sacrificing accuracy. Hundreds of 18-to-25-year-olds were divided into two groups for the study. In later, non-gaming assessments, individuals who played action games were up to 25% faster at reaching accurate judgments than those who played slower strategy games.
Problem-solving skills/Creativity
Games like Angry Birds and Bad Piggies inspire players to solve puzzles and other challenges in short bursts by requiring them to think creatively. However, it has been proven that playing these kind of video games might help youngsters become more creative in general. In a study of more than 400 12-year-olds conducted by Michigan State University in 2011, video game playing was linked to increased creativity. The study also looked at whether using a computer, the Internet, or a smartphone had any influence on creativity, finding that only playing video games was linked to more creative thinking.
Teamwork
Individuals and teams can benefit from video games. Multiplayer games like Warzone and Battlefield encourage individuals to contribute their particular abilities toward a shared objective, but playing video games together may also teach children how to collaborate. According to a poll performed by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center for Nonprofit Research and the educational website Brain Pop, 60 percent of instructors reported that playing digital games in the classroom two to four days per week helped their pupils become better collaborators.
Concentration
Just Dance is great for getting your blood pumping, but a 2005 research found that it also helped youngsters with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder improve their reading scores by helping them concentrate. The Appalachia Educational Laboratory performed the research, which looked at the behavior of just 62 pupils. Other research, such as one published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture in 2012, revealed more mixed findings. Researchers discovered that games can both assist and damage children’s attention problems, enhancing short-term focus while harming long-term concentration.
Situational awareness
Games like Zynga’s Concealed Chronicles test a player’s situational awareness by requiring them to identify things hidden within a bigger scene. This isn’t only useful for detecting a discrepancy in a spreadsheet; the US military has utilized simulations to aid soldiers on the battlefield. According to Defense News, in a March request for items to assist soldiers train and enhance their situational awareness in combat, the Army included video games as a viable aid.
Multi-tasking
Games like Diner Dash demand you to divide your attention — pay attention to customers, keep track of your money, and so on — and turn multitasking into a game. According to a 2010 research on eyesight and action games, playing video games might really help you multitask more effectively. The study, published in Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, found that when gamers were forced to add tasks to a core purpose, they performed better.
Reading the market
In-game markets in massively multiplayer online role-playing games that attract millions of people from across the world into their own fantasy realm frequently favor those who can understand the supply and demand of restricted commodities. According to The Washington Post, games like Eve Online and Guild Wars 2 have even employed academics to study the economy of their in-game worlds.
Management
Management games need players to make management decisions, whether for a complete society in civilization or for a specific corporation in the Rollercoaster Tycoon series. According to the Entertainment Software Association, companies often create unique games to use with training and orientation. For example, a model was created for the Customs and Border Protection agency in 2011 that aids the agency in determining how to manage resources and staff.
So, what do you think? Tell me in the comments!
