Mayo Clinic's Bad Take

 One thing that has remained a joke since the near beginning of the internet is to never Google your medical conditions or never WebMD your conditions. In the realm of gaming, I feel like there is a similar concept. When it comes to gaming, I believe that MayoClinic and other similar sources do not truly understand gaming addiction and lifestyle and just make incorrect remarks.

 

In regard to their “Are video games, screens another addiction?” article, they make good statements, but I feel that their approach is all off. Can video games be an addiction? Yes. Can anything be an addiction? Most definitely. From their negative symptoms list, they suggest video games cause violence, obesity, and loss of social skills. I disagree with all of these. Studies have shown that video games do not make people violent. Although sad, even national issues with gun control could not be linked to video games as the cause of the violence.

 

Obesity is not a direct result of gaming either – sure kids will be less active if they play games, but I do not believe these are directly correlated. They go onto say that kids might crave sweets while gaming, and if that is true, I suppose that could be a direct cause. Although I do not know if it is true, if it is I understand the direct relation.

 

The loss of social skills is a bit of a stretch as well. I think if the control group were young kids, I’m sure you could see loss of social skills. But little kids do not make up the majority of gamers. Many games actually require communication to succeed. I think the article is written as a blanket statement: Are Games Addictive? For improvement, would suggest MayoClinic to emphasize that most these negative effects are seen in children and not all of gamers as their first sentence makes it seem.

A Look Into True Gaming Skills

 

All content for this post will be in reference to https://www.zenbusiness.com/blog/from-game-room-to-boardroom-4-video-game-skills-that-translate-to-the-workplace/

While searching the internet for other blogs and articles that showcase the skills and gained from different games, I found this source that made well stated points and I thought I would showcase it on my blog.

The article is a quick post showcasing the different skills gained from gaming depending on the genre. Out of the post, I think there were great points and mediocre ones. The best point being the ones involving creative thinking and problem solving. I thought the other two – although they might be true, aren’t as valuable of a lesson or are not taught just by playing games.

Personally, I do not think that both the communication and resourcefulness are great examples of skills gained from playing games. In the communication section, the writer suggests that communication must be learned and expressed to succeed, but I don’t fully agree. I think that in some games this is not learned – nor is it encouraged in some games.

The example they use in the article is the game Overwatch, which is a tactical, fast-paced shooter that involves teamplay to succeed. I have played this game previously, and although communication can be learned – I don’t think it teaches you good ways of communicating or being effective at it. It involves talking to succeed but doesn’t teach you how to be a better communicator.

The same point is to be made with resourcefulness. They use the example of the Battle Royale game PUBG. Although someone can learn to make more use of their resources through playing this game, I do not think it makes you resourceful.

I think the point creative thinking and problem solving was the best point they made. I primarily play the game League of Legends, and I can agree with the points they state in their article. The game is extremely complicated, making it so one game is never the same as the next. You must shift your knowledge on the game to fit the situation you are in so you can succeed. I think this is the greatest skill someone can learn easily from games, and I think it’s a beneficial one to have as well.

eSport Coaching's Next Lombardi

 

For many years, coaching was only present in a few defined areas – many occupations being in the field of athletics. Whenever it comes to coaching, most people tend to think of sport coaches in all the various sports that exist. As of recently, eSport coaching has started to surface, and I interviewed an aspiring eSport coach to get his thoughts on the future of this form of coaching and how their experience with gaming has opened this pathway.

Justin is a top .01% player in the video game League of Legends, a highly competitive and skill intensive video game. Not only does this game involve high skill, but the prize pool for winning the biggest LoL tourney is in the millions. This number is only growing by the year and could potentially be the next mainstream form of entertainment.

I asked Justin his thoughts on his career pathways with eSports and if he truly believes there is a future in this industry:

So Justin, given your talent and skill level at your current level, do you foresee yourself working in this field?

“I really appreciate the compliment – Although I am in the top .01% of players, I truly do not believe that I am skilled enough to make the pro scene. Basketball, baseball, and other sports are the same way – there are a ton of players that can make a D1 team but not make it to the real deal.”

So if you do not see yourself competing in this field, do you see yourself working as a coach?

“Of course. I think a deep passion of mine is for coaching. I’ve had a fair share of good and bad coaches and I think I have the passion and skills to be a good influence for a team.”

Finally, do you think this gaming thing is a fad? Do you think you should pursue other things that have more opportunity for growth?

“I can see why people would be concerned with not working at a big corporate business out of college, but I don’t think there is anything to worry about. Organizations are being formed all around the world, all with their own benefits, just like a normal 9 to 5. Of course there are ‘safer’ options, but I don’t think anyone should be scared to join an eSports team.”

Any final remarks?

“Yeah, I just wanted to point out that without the existence of gaming I wouldn’t have had my passion for coaching spark, I would be left with a longing in my heart. I deeply appreciate League of Legends and the opportunities it has brought me.”

Justin asked that he remain anonymous for this interview but allowed for the usage of his first name. Thank you, Justin, for your time and insight.

Hiring Gamers Soon

A great entry to the workplace is having a diverse set of soft skills. This impresses employers and ensures longevity in the business. From my observations, both gamers and employers do not see the soft skills that are generated from playing video games. I think in the near future we will start to see gamers and employers starting to realize this and start recruiting more game players.

 

This strength discovery can only be discovered through action and people speaking about this. Typically, most new discoveries are only learned after being spread through the words of another person, and this is no different than that. Gamers pick up a ton of soft skills just through playing games and some of them don’t even know it.

 

Some of these soft skills include efficiency, communication, and problem solving. Efficiency can be taught through MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games like World of Warcraft. Hardcore MMO players grind to be the first to clear a dungeon, level the fastest, gain gold, etc. In order to achieve these they have to be crafty and think of the most efficient way to achieve them. This also ties into the problem-solving portion. Not only do WoW players have to dedicate time and resources to finding the most efficient route, but it also shows their creativity in order to achieve those goals.

 

The MMO genre isn’t the only game genre to help teach people these skills. The Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre teaches the same thing on a much accelerated and confined level. In MOBAs players play 5 versus 5 in an arena, gain resources and power through different objectives and by killing the enemy team. MOBA players have to be creative when they approach these games – no game will be the same so your approach to winning will always be different.

 

Of course, in these games communication is key. Being able to communicate with your team and work together can also be the deciding factor of the outcome of the game. This is why players have become good and teamwork and communicating exactly what should be done to achieve their goals.

 

I think the sooner that gamers and employers start to realize this, the more gamers we will see in the workplace. I think in the upcoming years these soft skills will start to be talked about and employers will see “played on a video game club” on a resume and will be more inclined to hire.

WFH Promotes Better Organization?

Looking back on 2021, the pandemic still affected everyone worldwide and left many people still stuck at home. One monumental change that is occurring in the world is the ability to work from home. Although there are lovers and haters, one thing remains true – we haven’t seen a huge decline in work productivity during this time. The sole reason companies want people back in the office is because money is being spent for that space, the primary reason is not because of productivity. Because of this, it begs the question: are mediums of entertainment, like video games, a harm to our youth, productivity, and organization?

 

I would argue that working from home during the pandemic has shown us a few things regarding this topic. First of all, is that we need KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and a form of monitoring. This helps ensure that we know what our goals are, see how we can achieve them, and what needs to be accomplished within a certain time span. This form of monitoring sets a solid base for more productivity when working from home. I have my fair share of friends that work from home and play games at the same time. Although this might not be the most ethical choice, as they are getting paid to play video games. Ethics aside, this shows how working from home, gaming, and other forms of entertainment can encourage better organization in our lives.

 

One of the largest gaming misconceptions is that gamers are lazy and unmotivated. This could be true for extreme cases, but someone working a real job, this isn’t an option. And if they want to play video games, they have to better organize their time so they can squeeze in gaming hours while still being as productive as if they were in the office.

 

I think many people do not like working from home, it makes us feel trapped and lazy, and it seems not many great things have come from it. Although this is true, it did teach a valuable lesson to employers and even proving a lesson to ourselves; gaming doesn’t make you less organized or lazy. When given requirements from a superior, we can still achieve our hobby and the same level of work as we could before the pandemic.

Overcoming Gaming Addiction

 

A common trend of this blog is to explore how people who play video games are able to utilize the skills the hidden skills they’ve gained and are able to push them into their own life. To be honest, that’s a very optimistic way of viewing video games. Many people do not know how to balance their gaming and professional lives – many times being addicted and caught up on playing games all the time.

TEDx speaker Cam Adair speaks on gaming addiction and explains a few ways of identifying where addiction begins and identifying factors that cause the addiction. Cam has been playing video games all his life and was addicted to them at a young age – eventually dropping out of high school. After dropping out, his parents forced him to get a job, but even then, he could not balance work and gaming – he spent all night playing games; forcing him to fall asleep during his shift.

Cam has now realized the key identifiers in why gaming addiction occurs through his own life experiences.

1. They act as an escape

2. They allow you to be social with friends

3. They’re Challenging.

4. They allow you to constantly improve and measure your growth

5. Games are entertaining.

By using these identifiers, we can see why people become so addicted to video games. It can be extremely difficult to stop when you have so many pros to playing them.

 

Cam Adair isn’t the only person who speaks up about these issues, but he is one of the biggest role models in this industry. Cam now has his own documentary on YouTube and has founded his own business to assist people in breaking their addiction with gaming.

 

If you are interested in learning more about Cam’s story or need help breaking video game addiction, you can navigate to his website: https://camerondare.com/ to learn more.

Rant: "Gaming is Pointless"

Throughout life, I’ve heard my fair share of bad takes and misconceptions of gamers from people who do not play games or who are farther along in life than myself. Some of these statements ranged from “being unmotivated” to “lazy” or “living off their parents”. Upon hearing these statements, it stirred something inside of me and made me a little upset to hear such things. I think that in many cases, the opposite can be said about gamers – and there are more perks than flaws.

Regardless of any hobby, interest, topic, etc. there are always going to be an extreme case – people to stop at nothing to enjoy their hobby. While this typically is not a healthy practice, gaming is not the only place that this occurs. It’s not just to primarily pick on gamers for staying inside all day and not being ambitious. And I think in many cases, they are quite the opposite. I think having a passion for something and having a hobby does not automatically make you lazy or less ambitious than other people. There are plenty of people who are lazy and not ambitious that do not play video games.

On top of this, I believe that video games can assist a lot in teaching you valuable professional skills. By playing games you aren’t simply wasting time, you are also coming up with ways to not die, beat a level faster, make a process more streamlined, etc. Any of these qualities are things employers seek in their applicants, people who can help notice problems, improve them, and work effectively. There are steps that a gamer needs to take to transfer the skills from the screen into the workplace, but generally, they have learned how to be more efficient or think faster from playing games. This can lead to more success in a competitive, fast-paced environment.

Many misconceptions regarding gaming still circle today but being a gamer does not make you lazy or less ambitious. Hopefully in the near future, these close-minded people start to realize the perks gaming offers.

Understanding Your Faults

 Although there are many different benefits associated with being a gamer, there are a fair share of drawbacks as well. Being immersed in a virtual world can benefit someone cognitively, but may cause them to lack in a variety of other areas.

Just like every consumable medium, the amount of exposure needs to be taken in with moderation. The most common drawback we find in gaming is the ability to be immersed too much and too often. A lot of research points toward gaming becoming an addiction. Throughout a gaming session, dopamine is released numerous times, creating a feeling of arousal towards the activity of gaming. This could impact the brain, causing the player to want to play games more than the usual amount - because the brain associates this behavior as a reward. This is the same with any other abusable medium, like drugs and alcohol, if it is not consumed in moderation there can be drawbacks.

The direct drawbacks of this behavior is the lack of social connections. For many cases, gamers are introverted, shy, and don't reach out very often. This is most likely caused by the lack of communication when playing games. The players internalize all their thoughts and don't feel the need to speak out as often as other people. This behavior could prove to be a deciding factor during an interview process. Someone who is more outspoken, able to speak about their strengths, and have experienced more social interactions will be better prepared for interviews. 

If you are a gamer and find yourself being introverted, don't fret. There's ways to improve your personal weaknesses. The first step is to acknowledge your weaknesses, but to also acknowledge your strengths. If your biggest weakness is introversion, slowly work on speaking up more frequently. It won't be easy, but if you have the gumption to achieve your goal, you will improve beyond your imagination.

Adapting to Failure With Gaming

Tetris. A game so simple anyone could pick it up and play. A series of different shaped blocks that need to be used to create a solid rectangle, without any spaces. Although this is a very simple game to understand, perfecting it is extremely hard and nearly impossible. Similar to any sport or skill, walls arise and we have to teach ourselves how to climb the walls and succeed.

Gamers are constantly faced with walls, fall short, and find ways to overcome the obstacle. There are a few conditions we must take into consideration to fully understand how gamers can overcome these walls:

1. The person playing the game must understand the "system". The system can be defined as the rules or mechanics of the environment: what can be accomplished, what is impossible, the different interactions between two variables. 
2. The player must know the goal of the "system". A reward. "What is the end goal and what do I have to do to reach it?"
3. The player had to have failed once. This will help guide their ideas to finding a better solution / how to adapt to the failure.

After establishing these conditions, players will go through a series of trial and error to overcome their failures.

How do you use this knowledge? If you play video games, this should be pretty easy for you. Just use the previous 3 criterium and try to apply it to your situation.

Here's an example to help put into perspective what I mean:

1. You have a Calculus test tomorrow (cheating is not an option)
2. You will get a good grade if you do well on studying
3. You failed in the past in fully understanding

If you put yourself into this person's shoes, you will notice that you've failed and there's a good reward in place if you do well. For gamers, failure is nothing new, but the way we address these situations are different. The biggest difference is that games are fun! Failing in games is really enjoyable and rewarding, because eventually you will succeed. 

If you apply that same mindset into any other situation (outside of the game) you will find that you will succeed easily as well. If you view your calculus assignment as a chore, it will not be fun if you fail. But if you change your perspective, view it as an incremental gain in "Experience points" or "Increasing your Stats", you will start to see you can overcome failure and adapt to situations easier.

This isn't just a principle that can be applied to homework. Change your perspective in any situation that may involve failure. Instead of being anxious or viewing a task as a chore, view it as increasing your "Stats". You've been learning from your failures every time you play games, so keep an open mindset and do great things.

For more information on some of these tests: check out Mark Rober's video about this topic.