4 Ways Games Can Enhance Life and Work Skills

Many people seem to perceive video games as a waste of time, even from the early days of gaming consoles. But these days, playing video games may do more for you than just pass the time like regular board games. They can also teach you valuable skills.

According to a survey by Carry1st and the South African games analytics firm, Newzoo, Sub-Saharan Africa is seeing more gamers due to the pandemic. The region had 186 million gamers in 2021, up from 77 million in 2015. Nigeria’s youth also started to get infected by the gaming craze because they had a lot of free time.

Many gamers find that gaming teaches them to think strategically and work collaboratively. These are what we would consider key skills for various aspects of life. Other skills, such as problem-solving and leadership also gained from playing games, can help you succeed in your career and achieve your life goals.

Table of Contents

4 Transferable Gaming Skills to Work and Life

Strategic thinking

The gaming process is planning-oriented. You must think of various strategies quickly and then implement them in one way or another to win over your opponent.

The same qualities are required and tested in the business world when you must also plan in advance and make fast decisions. Here, strategic thinking is extremely crucial. Gaming can help you develop these skills and improve your business acumen, even without realising it.

Examples of video games that can enhance strategic thinking are Sid Meier’s Civilization VI and Virtonomics. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI challenges players to lead civilizations through the ages using military, diplomatic, and cultural tactics.

In Virtonomics, players are tasked with creating and adjusting strategies based on market conditions to expand their virtual businesses.

League of Legends is a more contemporary option, as players must work as a team to outmanoeuvre opponents and score goals. This calls for quick decision-making and flexibility, two highly valued qualities in the hectic business world.

Problem-solving

Next on the list is arguably the most coveted skill of all—problem-solving. When faced with challenges, a great gamer and employee must always be able to solve them. Either by thinking outside the box or getting creative with resources, you must find a solution to progress.

Some classic games well-known to improve your problem-solving skills are Sudoku, chess, and crossword puzzles. If these are too old-fashioned for you, consider online Escape Rooms or Murder Mysteries, which may be more enjoyable because they are often designed with background stories.

Clue, one of the most famous murder mystery games, for example, can be played by up to 6 people. This means that on top of challenging the brain to think creatively, you can also have fun with friends and improve communication skills in solving problems together.

Manage risk and resources

Certain games can also teach you to be resourceful and prepare for the worst-case scenario. Among the most important abilities for employees are risk and resource management, particularly for managers and other higher-level positions.

You are tasked to manage resources well in games like Age of Empires, Civilization, and SimCity. Planning and forward-thinking are essential, and they can aid in developing problem-solving abilities. These abilities can help you grow professionally and are helpful in the workplace.

If you like to play Brick Snake and Pandemic, you may polish your risk management more. Players are tasked to continuously manage space and anticipate the placement of each new segment to avoid running into walls or the snake’s own growing body or managing the outbreak of diseases across the globe.

Improve hand-eye coordination

It’s common knowledge that playing video games can help with hand-eye coordination. Hand-eye coordination can be greatly enhanced by playing simpler, classic games like Fruit Ninja, Super Mario Bros., and Tetris.

However, the best outcome would be from First Person Shooter (FPS) games. Some of the most popular first-person shooter games are Valorant, Overwatch, and Apex Legends.

Such first-person shooter games require players to be accurate in their objectives to take out adversaries and aid their group. This requires keen hand-eye coordination and reflexes, skills that can be honed through regular gameplay.