Do you enjoy playing computer games? They can be thrilling, especially when you're competing against others. They involve lots of skill, and offer a chance to switch off from the pressures of real life. But imagine if your gaming talents could actually be put to use in the real world? Well, now businesses are waking up to the skills gamers can bring to the workplace.

 

As an example, the BBC spoke¹ to trainee² surgeon Saied Froghi. He played video games like Age of Empires and Halo in his spare time when he was at medical school. But this relaxing pastime wasn't distracting him from his studies - he thinks his time in front of a screen actually helped his surgery skills. He claims it helped him with his concentration, and he compares some of the skills used in keyhole surgery with using a games console. He says "Your hands know where the buttons are and how to rotate the instrument."

 

Certainly, operating gaming controls help to develop good hand-eye coordination³, but there are other abilities you can learn which can be applied⁴ to real-life work situations. Start-up company Game Academy told the BBC's David Molloy that some games involve strategy and resource management, which are good skills for management. It analyses gamers' habits from their online gaming profile and offers courses in valuable skills that reflect their aptitudes⁵. These are skills that can be developed, and if carefully reworded, can be added to CVs.

 

Employers might still need convincing that gamers are not just teenagers wasting their time in their bedrooms without thinking about their career prospects⁶. But business consultant⁷ Mia Bennett told the BBC that gaming can help skills like "decision-making, the ability to anticipate and scenario⁸ planning… It also helps with meta-skills - learning how to learn, experimentation⁹, and creative thinking."

 

You might think that the idea of gaming developing transferable skills is like the games themselves – pure fantasy – and a gamer doesn't want to associate the fun and escapism it provides with work. It certainly doesn't guarantee you a good job, and you need to be an accomplished¹⁰ gamer for your skills to shine. But if so much time is being spent gripped by the challenge of Portal or the strategy of Civilization, why not put those talents to good use?

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