Attention on-line gamers: Your next job might just come from something that isn't even on your resume – and may prove to be sweet vindication for use with those who say that you’re wasting your time playing games.
According to two new studies by IBM, online games like World of Warcraft and Everquest can help the next generation of workers become better corporate leaders.
Online gaming is hot -- there are an estimated 100 million gamers worldwide, but they're not all high school and college kids. According to the Entertainment Software Association, the average age of the gamer is 33 years old and 69 percent of American heads of households play video games.
The two new studies from IBM, in conjunction with MIT, Stanford, and software start-up Seriosity, reveal that online gaming may just be the secret ingredient to career success as the very nature of work itself becomes more distributed, collaborative and virtual in nature. Findings suggest that hours spent in the world of multi-player online role-playing games is actually honing skills related to collaboration, self-organization, risk taking, openness, influence, and communications.
That’s because massively multiplayer online games enable thousands of players to interact, compete and collaborate with one another in real time. Players must make rapid-fire decisions based on multiple and constantly shifting inputs. Invariably, certain individuals emerge to set direction and shape the success of others. These capabilities are increasingly being sought by businesses as they compete in the global economy – and they aren’t taught in any MBA program or corporate training program.
The two IBM reports come from deep research into the intersections of technology, business and societal trends and issues.
One is an outcome of the company’s annual Global Innovation Outlook program. The GIO brings together hundreds of leaders from the business world, academia, politics and non-profits for a series of “deep dive” brainstorming sessions around the world to identify meaningful opportunities for innovation. Outcomes include advances in policy, new thought leadership and collaborative approaches to new market opportunities.
The other comes from the Institute for Business Value, a think tank within IBM Global Services that provides strategic insights and recommendations that address critical business challenges and capitalize on new opportunities.
These studies provide some unexpected tips and tricks for individuals to succeed in their career.
