What we didn't know as a child: how video games affect life

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Now parents can stop forbidding their children from spending some time playing video games. A new study, conducted over 20 years, has shown that being passionate about them has a positive impact on their careers.

How the study was conducted

Online gaming often gets a bad rap, but our research tells a different story. “We found that games can really help people develop valuable work skills,” said Melika Shirmohammadi, a researcher at the University of Houston.

Video games can give people skills they can use at work, according to a study. Among them:

• problem solving;
• teamwork;
• leadership;
• self-confidence.

When done wisely, gaming can be a way to grow both personally and professionally.

The study was conducted over a 20-year period, tracking the habits of 23 employed gamers who are devoted to their gaming consoles. The goal was to find out if there are traits that gamers use in the virtual world that incidentally carry over into the workplace.

Gamers said they approached their work similarly to how they would solve challenges in their favorite games. Achievements in video games helped them develop self-confidence as well as awareness of their skills around colleagues.

Some of them learned to use their leadership skills, like one IT professional in the study.

I deal with a lot of new people at work. Because I seem to make an in-game effort to follow all the instructions, I'm ahead of some in explaining how to do certain things to new employees, the subject said.

How exactly games develop the necessary skills and help build a career

Most video games require strategic thinking, quick decision-making, and teamwork. These skills are directly transferable to the workplace.

The Impact of Strategy and Cooperative Games

For example, cooperative games played by two or more people can help improve communication and leadership skills, which is especially useful for management positions.

In turn, strategy games develop analytical thinking and the ability to multitask, planning your every next step in advance. World of Warcraft is the best example of such games, as there the interaction occurs simultaneously with hundreds of people.

Prospects of eSports

One of the areas is e-sports. If you do not transfer the skills acquired in video games to your work, you can build a career right in the virtual world. A vivid example of a successful team is the Ukrainian Na’Vi. Moreover, the development of e-sports creates new jobs, and prize money at tournaments encourages more and more players to join this sphere.

Gamification in education and work

It is especially useful and effective to use video games in a corporate environment. For example, training in the format of games helps employees learn new skills faster.

In Poland, the game This War of Mine has been integrated into educational programs. This way, students can develop empathy and social skills. Its plot unfolds during the war and the user has to play as civilians trying to survive in a besieged city.

Acquiring creativity and creative abilities

One of the popular game genres is the sandbox. In them, the player has minimal restrictions and is able to create, modify, and destroy his environment.

The best and most popular example of this genre is Minecraft. It has a “survival mode” that is similar to real life, where you need to monitor your health, accumulate the necessary resources, and overcome difficulties. All this stimulates the development of critical thinking, as well as the ability to make quick and effective decisions.

“Creative mode” allows you to embody anything that comes to mind. It can be large castles, recreated real cities on a real scale, or even a functional computer.