The next time you fuel your online gaming hobby, you might unknowingly be cultivating skills that can be applied to your career. While highlighting online gaming on your resume probably won’t secure a job, there are several skills that can be transferable to your profession. Further, being skilled and passionate about a hobby can be memorable to hiring managers and can demonstrate dedication. Additional valuable skills that can be acquired through online gaming are outlined below.
Communication skills are vital in all parts of life and particularly critical to professional performance in virtually all industries. Participation in MMO (massive multiplayer online) games can help players develop skills for real-world communication. By interacting with strangers in order to succeed at a game, gamers can gain confidence with their communication skills. Particularly, online gamers acquire experience communicating via technology, an increasingly valuable skill in today’s work world. These claims are further supported by studies showing that video games can help develop useful communication skills.
Many online games are played as a team where one player has to be the leader or commander. The lead gamer is responsible for managing the dynamics of the group, preparing to accomplish tasks, and distributing roles to the team members. These leadership skills are easily transferable to being a leader in your professional life as well. This 2012 study further details how online gaming can contribute to leadership development.
Besides organizing and delegating, leaders must be able to remain calm under pressure and be able to make quick decisions. Fast-moving video games can help players stay calm in stressful situations and make snap decisions that will benefit their teams.
Because avid gamers often spend hours engaging in their hobby, the task undoubtedly requires great focus and patience. Additionally, players must exhibit perseverance to succeed at their game of choice. Many online games use a trial-and-error process. As a result, players not only become accustomed to failure, but they also are able to learn from their mistakes.
Focus, determination and learning from past failures are skills that any employer would love to have in a new hire. These skills help define mentally strong individuals and they can be especially helpful for tackling challenging situations in the workplace.
Problem-solving is a skill that often takes time and practice to develop. However, online gaming is likely to help cultivate this valuable skill. Puzzle games, in particular, teach gamers to seek solutions to problems. In order to solve the puzzle or win the game, players often have to find unconventional solutions that cannot be found online or in a manual.
Being a problem solver in business means handling challenges, controlling crises and resolving conflicts. For example, an IT specialist is required to creatively solve problems on a daily basis. By learning to plan, be adaptable and determined to resolve problems, gamers can transfer their problem-solving skills to their career.
In a recent survey, 34% of gamers stated that building relationships were their favorite part of gaming. Any type of game that uses cooperation to achieve success can help you build relationships and strengthen your teamwork skills. Strong relationships and the ability to work well with others is common trait employers seek in their hires. Overall, utilizing relationships to collaborate in the workplace leads to better results through innovation and accountability.
Being competitive and self-motivating can be valuable in almost any career. Many online games use rankings, points, and achievements to bring out players’ competitive sides. Many gamers constantly seek challenges and aim to surpass their previous personal achievements. This type of competition and self-motivation will likely translate to high productivity in the workplace.
While 61% of gamers wish they could pursue online gaming as their professional career, not everyone can be profitable with their hobby. However, there are clearly skills that can translate from gaming into a variety of career fields. There may not be a substitute for related experience but highlighting hobbies and their transferable skills may indeed help you land and keep a job.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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