Best of Gaming Gurus

To recap all of my favorite blog posts, I compiled a list of the best posts from my blog into one consumable post. Each post falls under the topic of “Gaming” but encapsulates the benefits for gaming in each of the specified categories. Please feel free to click into each post and read a little more about the content.

1. Adapting to Failure With Gaming

This was my favorite post of all time. This one helped set the tone for the rest of blog posts forever. It covers the topic of Failure, something we all face. The article starts by setting the tone and giving you an easy-to-understand example. That example stacks on top of another example and explains how gamers can learn from their mistakes and adapt to prevent future ones from happening. This article includes an example that highlights the common issues someone faces when dealing with failure and how gaming can fix that. An overall great article.

2. Overcoming Gaming Addiction

This post is something that covers a real story of a real person who went onto TEDx to discuss his story about gaming addiction and showing how he improved his life. This post shows the negative of gaming if you do not consume entertainment with discretion.

3. WFH Promotes Better Organization?

Covering the topics of Working From Home and whether or not it can be successful. In these times of uncertainty, getting reassurance that gaming can assist people in working from home is nice to hear. This is exactly what the post highlights.

4. Hiring Gamers Soon

A basic, optimistic post that helps envision a future where gamers are hired based off the soft skills they gain from playing games. A very basic, but effective post that goes into detail how different games influence your professional resume and career.

5. A Look Into True Gaming Skills

The final post highlights a comparison post between my thoughts and someone else’s take. This was a genuine take comparing a post for their good and their bad takes and putting my two cents into the equation.

Bonus 6^th: Gaming Gurus Merch!

If you enjoyed all of those posts, why not check out my Merch store and support me there as well!

Alternate Universe: Hiring Off Game Experience

What if in the near future large companies start prioritizing hiring gamers? What would the world look like? What would the perks be? Are there any downsides? Let’s take a look. 

At this current point in time typically companies hire based off experience, soft skills, and how committed they are to stay within the company. Whenever someone goes to apply they list their list of qualifications, previous work history, and a brief letter explaining what they bring to the table. There is one solid thing we are missing among these items: how well someone can adapt to their situation and learn and how great of a strategic thinker they are. Gaming helps accomplish both of those things, if you play the correct games, so what would it look like if employers started to hire based off of what games someone played?

Initially, I would imagine that they would ask what games you have experience in or what games you like to play the most / what skills you’ve gained from it. For example, one could say: “I play Tetris and from playing so often I now know how to view a sequence of blocks and how to adapt them to succeed given a certain situation.” This would be an interesting take because not only could it help identify what games the person plays, but could also be a gauge for the creativity level. How can someone utilize their most played game and turn it into a positive statement? Although this hypothetical situation is not probable, feasible, or realistic, it’s still really cool to think about how much the world would change just by changing a simple process.

Gamers Unite! (To overcome introversion)

 After reading a Reddit Post about someone dealing with struggles related to introversion while playing video games and the steps they take to avoid human interaction entirely, I wanted to find somewhat of a success story. This would be to help those who have that same level of introversion and unlike how the original poster worded it "am I hopeless?" I hoped to find a story that sparked hope.

Upon looking up gamers overcoming introversion success stories, I came across a different kind of gamer who, facing a similar situation as the user on Reddit, overcame their extreme introversion. Diana, the poster of this article details their personal struggles, how they feel awkward when it comes to social situations and they have a hard time good small talk, or making much more than just small talk. 

The person on Reddit who posted their struggles, encountered a similar issue, except to a much worse extent. If there is any ready that relates to the Reddit post, please do not feel like you are hopeless, you can change! Take Diana for example, she and her friends never thought they would improve. They thought they were going to be introverted losers for the rest of their lives. But as a group small knit friends, and slowly expanding their friend group, they were able to overcome their fears and were able to become more sociable people. If me, Diana, or anyone else can do it, what are you waiting for..? Go out there and start getting more exposure!

Gaming Has Perks?

 One thing that surprises a lot of people is the amount of soft skills you can gain from playing games. For this post I have compared 2 different articles that explain the benefits of playing video games, except I believe one is much better than the other. One of the articles, coming from Game Quitters and the other coming from Understood.Org. Of these two articles one does a better job of going into more detail about the benefits of gaming than the other.

First, let's take a look at Understood's article. Understood's article is catered towards parents - outlining the upsides to gaming. The article consists of 6 short bullet points outlining a skill and why / how it is encouraged or taught. Some of the skills they reference are visual-spacial skills, flexible thinking, and understanding social life. There are a few more skills they reference, but they're not worth overviewing. Overall, I think this article does a good job of grabbing actually well-learned skills from gaming, but I feel they are only scratching the surface. They could be pursuing much more with this than they are.

The second article, the one from Game Quitters is catered towards a more broad audience, this could be for parents, gamers, or people purely interested in the topic. I really enjoy this article because they give a quick summary at the very beginning, a very short overview of all the points they are making. But as they progress down the list, they provide actual scientific experiments and studies conducted that prove their point. For example, they go into a lot of detail about more cognitive improvements. Or they also go into detail about faster decision making. Instead of just making comments out of pure emotion and personal experience, they are providing accurate information backed by research.

I believe that is one thing that makes an article or blog post go above and beyond expectations. Whenever a writer links to a source that has proven that they / their points are validated, it shows the amount of effort they put in. It also shows the difference between our two articles chosen, one focuses on personal experiences and the other utilizes actual research.

What Jobs Can I Get With Gaming?

 A common question among people who spend hours gaming is: I've spent all this time gaming, what can I do with this experience? If you are in this same boat and perform a Google search you might come across articles like this. In short, articles like this spew the same information such as articles from Career Karma and resources like The Balance Careers. The biggest problem with resources like this is that they aren't exactly helpful... What all three resources fail to mention is that each of the career paths they list are extremely competitive or they require a lot of skill in order to get into that position.

One of the most aspired jobs from a majority of gamers is to become a developer. Being a developer is extremely difficult though. Many people who aspire to become a developer have not even started to code, don't understand the level of knowledge and skills they need to have in order to succeed at the position, and have not done any research on the difficulty of the task.

Of all the resources I've found online regarding Best Jobs for Gamers, the best one I've found is from Indeed. They do an amazing job of giving both the most aspired jobs, such as game designer and developer, but also give more humble, more reasonable jobs like sales rep, marketing positions, and tech support specialist.

So to sum up all the points for any young gamers: Don't let difficult careers get in your way. Find your true passions, if you like gaming, find what you like about it. Do you like breaking the game? Do you like drawing character designs? Do you want to be your own game developer? If you would like to pursue any of those pathways, there are barriers to entry, so try to learn the skills necessary to succeed earlier rather than later.

Top 3 Timeless Video Games

 Since the creation of video games in the 70s we’ve seen great leaps in technology, graphics, and gameplay. There have been several games that have paved the way for a new standard of games – games that have shifted the baseline for games. Keep in mind, I’m not an old head. I will not remember the times of the Atari and other revolutionary consoles. Also keep in mind that this list is highly subjective.

1. Zelda Ocarina of Time

I think this game does not need much introduction into why it was so revolutionary for gaming. The original Zelda, being a 2D dungeon crawling, explorative game was loved by many. With the release of the N64, Nintendo had big shoes to fill to keep the positive trend with Zelda games, and they blew it out of the water.

This game not only upheld the Zelda-like gameplay but made an amazing transition into the 3D game world. This game is nothing short of a masterpiece for its time. Now, the gameplay feels clunky in comparison to today’s standards, but I think this game deserves the love it has, as it defined a baseline for 3D dungeon crawling / exploration games moving forward.

2. Cuphead

This game is definitely one of the most controversial on this list, it didn’t really create a genre-defining gameplay loop or didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it was extremely ambitious and one of a kind. The creative thing about Cuphead is the game is entirely animated as if it was in the 1920s – an old cartoon. It does this extremely well too – everything is beautiful, the soundtrack stays true to the theme, and they blew everything away.

I included it on this list because we are currently in the time of Indie game developers, of independent studios making games. Taking into consideration that indie games are becoming as popular, if not more than big studios. Cuphead’s art style, makes it a work of art and makes other Indie companies work a little harder moving forward.

3. Elden Ring

The final entry on this list is a very new game. Elden Ring. Generating hype since it’s short announcement in 2019, Elden Ring has been the biggest roar in the gaming community. Learning from their previous mistakes in games, From Software created this masterpiece that shifted a difficult linear-based story game into an open-world masterpiece. 

Recently with the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, every company is trying to steal the same gameplay loop for a quick cash grab. Even in a time where companies try to push out an open-world cash grab, From Software perfected this masterpiece. Taking it’s own twist on the genre, ensuring it is never dull, and setting a standard for open world moving forward.

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.

About Me

Hello all, my name is the Game Master. I am a gamer at heart that likes to spend most of my free time playing games. My preference is more competitive, team reliant games, but I enjoy all genres of games. Although I used to fit the stereotype for a gamer - an introverted, socially inept, and lazy person - through personal experiences and self-reflection, I found some perks to being a gamer.

 

The Goal: I decided to pursue this blog after realizing the negative connotations associated with gaming and being a gamer, and the potential perks someone gains from them. By playing games, without even knowing it, people start to gain small but effective skills that can be applied outside of the gaming realm. With a push in the right direction, these skills can be learned and amplified in a corporate environment.

 

The Name: I chose the pen name “Game Master” as it is a widely used term in the realm of games. For those who are unaware, in games such as Dungeons and Dragons, the Game Master is the person who facilitates the story and guides the story. Although I will not be guiding anyone’s “story” with this blog, I will hopefully give you insight and inspiration to help guide you to applying your hidden talents gained from gaming.

 

Surprisingly enough, there are a lot more redeeming qualities to playing games than you would expect. Having a passion for video games does not mean you can pursue one field, like video game development. There are many benefits to playing games that can positively impact you in any field in the workforce. Gamer or not, I hope you enjoy my content and take the opportunity to gain more insight to the benefits of gaming.