Although you may not be conscious of it, video games have a lot to teach us about business and the world of work. When you sit down to play your favorite video game, business is probably the furthest thing from your mind. After all, relaxation and entertainment are what most people expect from this digital hobby.
As the video game industry continues to grow and games become more accessible, many people are devoting a lot of their free time to gaming. And, if you’re looking to boost your business savvy, gaming may be the best hobby to help you do so. Keep reading to learn about all the lessons which games can teach us.
How to Read the Competition
As one of the most popular card games worldwide, millions of people play poker every year. When you’re seated at the table in a brick-and-mortar or online casino, you’re probably not thinking about the business lessons you would learn from this entertaining game.
However, if you pay attention, you’ll notice that one of the most important skills in poker is reading your competitors. The same is true in the world of business. If you know your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, you can always stay one step ahead. At the same time, when you’re ready to make a deal, you’ll know the best moves to make to ensure success.
Failure Helps You Improve
Play video games for a while, and you’re bound to learn that failure can be your friend. Even the best gamers fail from time to time, and it’s impossible to keep up a winning streak forever. Whether you’re playing against the game’s AI or competing against someone on the other side of the world, you have to have thick skin and be willing to try again and again as a gamer.
If you want to progress in a well-designed game, you’re going to fail repeatedly; it’s part of the learning curve. From three-match games like Bejeweled to massively multiplayer online titles like World of Warcraft, there’s no linear line to success. What makes a person a good player is their ability to persist and overcome failure.
It’s an important lesson in business and life too. If you’re an entrepreneur, you know that many new businesses fail and you have probably experienced failure a few times during your career. What’s important is getting up, learning from your mistakes, and trying again. The same thing that you’d do in your favorite video game.
Work Should Be Fun
While you probably don’t have the luxury of changing jobs every time you have a bad day, nobody should spend their career in a position that makes them miserable. Money may motivate you to get up in the morning and go to work; however, you need more than that to make you passionate about your job.
Most people excel when doing work they love. It won’t feel like work if you love what you do for a living. If you think about it, online gaming is similar to work, yet people pour hours of their time into it because they love what they’re doing.
They also take the necessary steps to move their career forward, including studying and getting mentoring from experts. Whilst gaming, if you need help understanding something, you’ll seek out experts for help or read a gaming guide.
When you’re gaming, you have to interact with diverse groups of people; you may be called upon to organize a group or manage other players, and you have to think critically. A great job has the same qualities. It’s challenging while allowing you to take calculated risks.
Healthy Competition Is Good
Whether you’re playing solo or in a group, online gaming is all about competition. If you want your team to win, you must act accordingly. Sometimes that means taking on a leadership position; other times, you’ll work in a supporting role.
You won’t always win, but if you have a good attitude, people will want you to be part of their group in the future. The same principles apply to success in business, where overcoming obstacles and engaging in healthy competition can help your career.
ALSO READ: 15 Sensible Tips for Growing Your Business
