When people think of playing games online, they often don’t associate the activity with leadership skills, but the two are related. No matter what type of game you play, you’re improving your business skills.
Online gaming and leadership work together in making you a better business leader. Playing games is good for your brain, allowing you to make better choices and become a better leader.
Improving your mind
Studies have shown that playing puzzle and strategy games for ten minutes a day can help improve your memory. Solving puzzles in-game enables you to enhance your problem-solving skills in the real world.
Just like physical training, mental strength comes from consistent practice. However, you don’t have to play any specific game; it just needs to contain a puzzle or strategy aspect. This includes casino games like those found at GGPoker UK, shoot ‘em ups like Fortnight, math puzzles like Soduko and the eternal favorite crosswords.
A study on gaming’s impact on cognition found that even playing action games can improve your attention span, processing ability, and cognitive function. It also found that brain games don’t have the same features as commercial video games that are causing cognitive improvements.
Similar studies have also concluded that casual games like Angry Birds or Candy Crush improve your mood. When you are in a good mood, your brain function improves, which will help you in business and everyday life.
However, the most defined link between gaming and leadership is in role-playing games (RPGs). Researchers have found that playing RPGs with a strategy element makes you think quicker. These games do this by increasing your cognitive flexibility. Studies showed that playing RPGs helped players finish cognitive tasks more quickly than people who didn’t play.
Data shows that non-gamers who only played for the study had spikes in brain function. People with dyslexia were also included in the research and experienced improved reading and writing test scores. The elderly also saw increased brain function and enhanced memory.
Multiplayer games and leadership
When it comes to gaming, multiplayer games help build leadership skills. Though these types of games aren’t common in the iGaming world, game providers could add them to features we’ll see in the future.
Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) has improved the leadership abilities of individuals who were involved in the study. Another study, carried out over eight months focusing on popular MMORPGs, found a clear leader always emerges during the game. The leader isn’t always who you think it might be.
This type of game is good at putting people in a leadership position who usually wouldn’t volunteer for the role. In a virtual world, players felt a sense of safety and were able to find their natural leadership skill without any real consequences if they fail.
The leaders of these games were able to try again after each failure until the team got it right and succeeded. Having this ability is a great trait to have in the business world, even though many people are reluctant to keep trying.
This study shows that getting the right person to lead the team is more important than the environment. Knowing this begs the question of how do you find the right leader and create a thriving environment. The answer is easier than you may think it is:
- Incentives: It doesn’t have to be monetary; it just has to make people feel like they’re winning. Things like benchmarks and awards.
- Transparency: Information should be accessible to all, keeping your leaders and team in the loop regarding your business.
- Fun: A positive attitude encourages your team to perform better.
Conclusion
Gaming is fun, mentally stimulating, and provides real-world skills. Don’t be scared to play, and encourage those on your team to do so as well. You can also try playing an MMORPG with your team to bond and find the best leader.
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