We’re sure you’ve had parents or grandparents ask you why you play so many video games all the time. Next time they do, you’ll have the perfect answer as you can explain to them how gaming helps you grow as a person by teaching you valuable skills like the 5 listed below.
1. Teamwork and communication
Have you ever tried carrying a game of DotA 1v5 and succeeded? In most cases, unless you’re an extremely talented individual, your answer to this question will be no. Both in a gaming environment as well as a professional one, teamwork is a much appreciated skill that will often be vital to your success as an individual.
Something a lot of gamers don’t realize is that they are training this skill every day when playing video games. At the most basic level you play together with others in a random team for the duration of a match where you have to quickly adapt to the different personalities in the group and do the best you can. At the highest level, teams build an extensive teamwork synergy over months and sometimes even years in order to become the very best at what they do.
With teamwork also comes communication and both go hand in hand when it comes to tackling the biggest of obstacles as a team. If you’ve played MMO’s like World of Warcraft you’re probably familiar with terms like raiding. In a raid, a number of people get together and use voice chat to take on the hardest bosses the game has to offer. This way of instantly communicating with one another is ultimately what drives the best teams to victory and a lack thereof will have the boss still standing at the end of the night.
2. Leadership
Some of us will take on the role of team leader while playing these games. As the captain, it’s your job to guide your team to victory by maintaining oversight of what’s going on in the game as well as making decisions of strategic value. Taking on this role in game will prepare you for management jobs later in life where tough and sometimes unpopular decisions have to be made in order to drive the organization forward. Players are often afraid to take on this position out of fear being criticized for a wrong decision but in reality it’s all part of the learning process and it’s great for you as a person to grab these opportunities when they present themselves.
3. Networking
In order to get to these positions, it’s important to know the right people, who will give you the chances to grow. We’ve written about how having a solid network can benefit you in your search for a career in our 7 Tips by Fnatic that will get you a career in eSports article but the fact is that you don’t have to be a professional to start building your own network. As an online gamer you’ll meet a lot of different people and learning to judge these different relationships is a skill that will go a long way.
4. Hard work pays off
Learning that success doesn’t come for free is maybe one of the most important things you can learn from playing video games. You don’t get legend in Hearthstone by playing 1 game a day. You don’t down the hardest bosses by giving up after two hours and you sure won’t make it to Diamond if you refuse to learn about the strategy behind the game. The same goes for your real life, where expecting to see results immediately will mostly set you up for disappointment.
5. Sometimes you just need to take a break
Ever been stuck on a challenge in a game that just seems impossible until you get back to it later and you finish it on your first try? Realizing when you’re not in the correct mindset to be doing something and have to take a step back to get a new perspective is a skill that will help you succeed in all areas of life.
We hope this article gave you a fresh new perspective on how you can improve yourself even when just sitting behind the computer talking and playing with your online friends. For more exclusive content make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
