Video games are more than meets the eye. They are mostly utilized for entertainment, but several titles also teach lessons through their storylines and gameplay. An invested player may gain more than they expect. One noteworthy example is actual real-life skills, which creators are increasingly including into video games. They may be less realistic recreations of everyday activities, but they provide a useful base for gamers to use and grow.

As video games become more sophisticated, an increasing number of businesses are taking into account the unique skill set that video gaming provides to a business and how employee productivity and profitability might benefit from these skills.

While your parents may have told you that video games would get you nowhere in life, it turns out that video games teach a wide range of abilities, from teamwork to interpreting complex sets of instructions, that are extremely desirable to business owners. Whether you play games to pass the time or to get a competitive advantage over your pals, you’re gaining skills that businesses are increasingly recognizing as essential to their operations.

So, here are some benefits and useful skills gained from playing video games that can help you become a better person.

1. Risk-Taking

Though not a real-life threat, playing a modern video game elevates the stakes by placing your avatar and progress at risk from in-game fatalities or setbacks. Gamers quickly learn how to navigate unexpected landscapes and scenarios in order to face the unknown and safely get themselves or their teams out of perilous circumstances, preparing them to face dangers and the unknown in real life.

While recklessness is not ideal, having measured, strategic risk-takers on your workplace team can propel your company forward.

2. Patience and Perseverance

If you’ve ever played the Water Temple level in Ocarina of Time for the N64, you understand the value of patience.

Patience and perseverance are rare skills that aid in professional and personal success. Mentally strong people are patient and understand how to use these talents to deal with difficult situations and wait for success, which translates to a team member who is willing to work their way up through training and the ranks to become a valuable asset to your company.

3. Problem-Solving

Puzzle problems and other impediments in video games frequently need players to change their perceptions or tactics in order to find successful answers. I remember as a kid discovering that the time you entered the Super Mario level Tick Tock Clock influenced the speed of the internal clock mechanics.

These talents are perfected over time and contribute to the corporate environment while dealing with crisis situations, work obstacles, and disagreements, giving gamers the capacity to discover creative solutions with limited resources.

4. Strategizing

Many video games necessitate strategy and strategic tactics in order to proceed through the game and complete a sequence of actions in order to advance to the next level or prize. Because of the extensive planning and strategy necessary, games like Civilization and StarCraft have grown highly popular.

Read Also: What Games Improve Problem Solving Skills?

Strategic thinkers are useful in business as well, because much of business success is dependent on good plans for adapting to the challenges of a changing corporate landscape.

5. Concentration

To succeed, the scenarios in video games necessitate the player’s whole concentration. Consider games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, which need entire concentration to succeed.

Distractions such as phone calls, messages, and social media are turned off in order to focus on the task at hand. In a commercial setting, interruptions can reduce productivity and make staff less efficient, thus having a player who is used to focusing completely on their work is a tremendous asset to profitability.

6. Leadership

In multiplayer video games, players frequently form groups with appointed leaders to decide on plans and approaches. It is the team leader’s responsibility to set up times, interact with other players, establish plans, recognize team strengths and weaknesses, maintain morale, and keep other players focused on the task at hand.

These abilities are honed through time and via collaboration with many teams in a variety of gaming situations and scenarios. These are the same leadership abilities that managers, directors, and team leaders employ in business to excite their teams and keep everyone working toward the same goals.

7. Social Skills

Multiplayer video games necessitate player involvement as well as distant teamwork via webcam, Bluetooth headset, and social networking. To continue on a team, players must develop social skills such as punctuality, civility, excellent sportsmanship, and a healthy sense of competition in order to connect with other players in a pleasant manner. (Of course, not everyone understands…)

These qualities result in people who are willing and able to work successfully as part of a team, show up on time, collaborate, encourage others, and share ideas and strategies openly to come up with answers to business challenges.

8. Critical Thinking

All decisions in a video game have risks and consequences, so expert players understand how to weigh their options and use their best judgment to complete missions and campaigns successfully. Many of these judgments must be made in a split second, therefore gamers must develop analytical skills in high-pressure scenarios while remaining calm in stressful conditions.

When it comes to business, panicked decision-making in business-critical situations may be disastrous, therefore having level-headed, quick decision-makers on your team to examine existing facts and draw insights for the next steps to solve an issue is crucial.

9. Multi-Tasking

Video games used to be so straightforward. There was a ball that needed to be hit. You have to be the first person to cross the finish line. Of course, the simplicity of ancient games was due in large part to the technology they were using. However, as game technology evolved, the challenges became more difficult.

Consider the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto games. Players must now sprint to a certain place in a certain period of time while fending off enemies, navigating crowded streets, and making a phone call. It’s a lot of things at once (which I believe is the GTA motto).

The intense situational awareness and management required for these types of games improves the player’s ability to juggle many activities while blocking out distractions. In business, the ability to multitask well can increase productivity and performance.