Not surprisingly, it’s a little bit of both. Sure, gamers have those skills. But they use them in the game, not the workplace. Not that they *can’t* transfer them, but a) they don’t know how to transfer them, b) not all game skills have analogues in the real world, and c) (and worst of all), they are distracted and exhausted from playing so much.

Interesting.. I have been gaming for the past 1 month and its so true… I started gaming just to check what all the noise was about and was/am amazed at the lessons I have learnt. Gaming certainly helps you hone your skills be it leadership,teamwork etc. Try forming a sizeable raid group and having the members focussed on the reaching the enemy territory. ..The benefits are plentiful but it is very important to maintain a balance cause gaming can be very time consuming and does affect your daily routine if left unchecked. I work in IT management, run my own homebased business and try gamin in my sparetime.. Gaming has affected my productivity but i guess the key is discipline.. Also, like was mentioned earlier the skills need to & can be transferred to the workplace..

Richard has some great points. Also, gamers love the thrill of the game, which is why they spend so much time at it. Work is just….work, for most people. Even if they could transfer the skills, subconsciously, they’d probably rather be playing the game. That means they might not use the same focus on their work as they do on the game.

I think it depends on the work environment. I can imagine, after observing my son play WoW over the years, that full concentration required for a game might not be transferable to any task or job. What goes on in WoW often stays in WoW, I think. He can stop playing for school and for more fun things to do with friends, but is also likely to be completely absorbed while playing. OT: One lesson I hear from him: it is a pretty rigorous system for picking guild or team members: produce / perform or you will not get picked.

Thanks for the comments. BTW, this research is ongoing. If any of the commenters have interest in being interviewed for the program, pls send me an email at:

mdover(at)ngenera(dot)com

Interesting article. It seems video games aren’t teaching us only negative things. Then again, this may depend on the type of game. Strategy games such as warcraft and starcraft may provide more beneficial teachings than that of those horrible, pointless hack and slash games.

Frank Ferlaino – Florida Boating Accident Attorney

The benefits are plentiful but it is very important to maintain a balance cause gaming can be very time consuming and does affect your daily routine if left unchecked. I work in IT management, run my own homebased business and try gamin in my sparetime.
Thats a great one. Enjoyed reading it thanks.
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I think it depends on the work environment.

I would say it depends on the person. Most everyone has talents that they either use effectively to better their lives, add value to the marketplace, or improve the world in some way or that they underutilize, misapply or squander.

It all boils down to the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality, work time from play time, etc.

work environement is very important.

Totally depends on the type of job.

I can see the reason for this, and it is specific to games which require a huge time commitment from the player such as Wow or everquest. I know a friend who personally was having work issues and their firing was in part due to them coming in late because of late night online gaming sessions.

I agree, gamers spent huge amount of time to become really good at particular game. But some might think it is a waste of time.

Thanks Boris – wholesale electronics

Strategic games certainly do helps ppl to relax and sharpen their mind at the same time, and this scientifically proved, and WoW is a great game to have after working 10 hours in a cubicle but I can’t say the same about CS and similar games

Honestly, we were just talking about the possibilities of incorporating WoW into the classroom. While it is slightly different than your question about benefits vs. liabiities in the work environment, it is somewhat related. I actually like the idea of incorporating games like this in the educational environment, and I do feel that the benefits outweigh the negatives in the work environment. These players become leaders, and know how to work successfully in groups, specifically at the virtual level, which is critical in today’s booming digital age. I think its better to hire a WoW player than someone that goes home to play Madden 4 hours or goes out and drinks themselves to sleep.

-SmokeeLah

Audio Engineering Schools

I’ve recently started playing AOC and can understand where they are coming from in some aspects. Since I started playing I’m going to bed later I intend to sit down for an hour and it turns into 3..

I don’t think that people will likely put the same amount of focus on work compared to a game. There’s just a mental block between work and playing a game to escape. Maybe it’s just me.

This is very true! Most gamers I know have eztraordinary hand-eye coordination as well as general cognitive ability.

It might be true. If someone spends much time on doing something – he improve many skills, not only the reflex in clicking the mouse

I can see the reason for this, and it is specific to games which require a huge time commitment from the player such as Wow or everquest. I know a friend who personally was having work issues and their firing was in part due to them coming in late because of late night online gaming sessions.

I agree, gamers spent huge amount of time to become really good at particular game. But some might think it is a waste of time.

Thanks Boris

Yes, it is right, Richard give us some good points on this point.

I have always thought that playing video games helps strengthen some mental aspects including coordination. Some games require strategic planning also. Think about some of the video games they have for young children these days. Most of them are geared towards learning things like how to read or write or do math. That’s just my opinion though.

Richard has some great points. I know a friend who personally was having work issues and their firing was in part due to them coming in late because of late night online gaming sessions.

I think that you are best off working by yourself if people in your team have less ability than you. If you are a big company fine delegate, but not unless you have to.

I think the pros outweigh the cons – gamers are usually excellent problem solvers as they get so much practice using these skills. What company wouldn’t want great problem solvers working for them?

Richard has some great points. Also, gamers love the thrill of the game, which is why they spend so much time at it. Work is just….work, for most people. Even if they could transfer the skills, subconsciously, they’d probably rather be playing the game. That means they might not use the same focus on their work as they do on the game.

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Is the value of gamers greater than the liabilities?
Sincerely? Not really. I had a friend who lost his job and family because of his games addiction so I’m not taking this very lightly…

Those who had never played a MPOG against another team would never understood the need to work as team to win a game, on the other hand one must not under estimate the damage it bring along with over addiction to gaming.

Hi Friends H r u? I hope all is well…This is very true! Most gamers I know have eztraordinary hand-eye coordination as well as general cognitive ability.