Creativity can be expressed in many different forms, some of the more popular forms being created by artists, musicians, and writers. A popular creative class of people that are not often considered creative is the entrepreneur, but they are incredibly creative individuals by nature. Continually seeking new and creative ways to express their talents in the marketplace, another group that is often left out of consideration in the creative class are gamers.
Recently, while doing research for a curriculum project, I had the opportunity to spend time with quite a few gamers. The lessons I learned about creativity and entrepreneurship from them were as powerful as any I have learned in school.
At first glance, it may not be obvious that gamers intuitively know a lot about entrepreneurship or starting a business, but then again, people didn't think that military veterans or returning citizens (or even women for that matter) would know a lot about entrepreneurship 20 or 30 years ago. Quite frankly, I was not surprised that gamers instinctively know a lot about business startup. Not only that, gamers can be as good at it as they are gaming! Check out the top 3 lessons I learned about entrepreneurship from gamers below.
1. Mentally Tough: Entrepreneurship is incredibly challenging – it is not something for those who give up, surrender, or throw in the towel easily. If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you must bring your A-game every day!
There will be ups, downs and everything in between – entrepreneurs suit up and show up to battle when they may not feel like doing either. In this way, gaming is much the same. Once the battle begins in-game, you have got to rise to the challenge and do your best for yourself and your team, regardless your mood. Through gaming, we strengthen our ability to perform through challenging times, and it also helps us to develop a winner’s mindset.
Something Vern Harnish (someone I consider to be one of my mentors) said recently when discussing the difficulties of being an entrepreneur in times of crisis comes to mind, “Now is the time to play to win – it is not a time to play not to lose.” This is clearly the gamer’s mindset as well. Gamers always play to win! As entrepreneurs, we need this same mindset every time we step into the marketplace.
2. The Team Matters: Long ago we were taught to believe that entrepreneurs where the rugged individualist, out in the marketplace using their wit, guile, and skills to succeed all on their own. What we’ve since discovered over the years is that nothing could be further from the truth.
Although entrepreneurs are strong leaders with strong personalities, those who are most successful are those who are good at building and leading terrific teams. Now more than ever before, it takes a group of talented individuals developing a plan and then implementing that plan in the marketplace for a company to be successful.
My experience has been that individuals who think they can do it all by themselves are doomed to fail. Upon further inspection of the gaming industry, we see very clearly that teamwork truly matters. Nowadays most games involve teams and those teams must be led well and built well.
The teams I have observed have been well-organized groups with assignments and responsibilities distributed based on skill and talent. The teams work together to assess situations, identify goals, build strategies to reach those goals, and then implement those strategies in real time. These are precisely the types of skills that entrepreneurs and small businesses use every day in the marketplace. I am confident that gamers can repurpose their gaming skills into the marketplace without missing a beat.
3. Solve Problems … QUICKLY: I have always believed that entrepreneurs are creative problem solvers at their core, constantly asking questions like:
How can we do this better?
How can we do this more efficiently?
How can we improve this system?
Entrepreneurs’ solutions to those problems, and more, result in everyone leading better lives. If you look at all the great entrepreneurs throughout history, all the problems they have solved and the benefits they have provided to society through their efforts, what you will find is utterly amazing.
As stated previously, entrepreneurship is challenging. It is not an easy path because entrepreneurs are faced with new challenges and problems every day, but the entrepreneurs who meet those challenges and solve those problems quickly are most successful and enjoy great rewards for their efforts.
Gaming offers us the valuable opportunity to train our brain in real-time to solve problems in entertaining ways. Some of the most popular games involve obstacles, challenges, or tasks that must be completed with limited resources and time. Another common feature involves an opposing force that is trying to prevent us from reaching our goals. Our ability to counteract those challenges in-game is a key factor in our success.
The gaming experience is constantly throwing us into challenging situations, forcing us to make choices as to which path to take, which resources to access, and how to best apply those resources to win. These strategies and thought processes that gaming requires inherently trains our brains to develop the same skills that are necessary for success as an entrepreneur!
This list provides a quick insight into how gaming can help people develop and strengthen their entrepreneurial skills, and why gamers are at an advantage in entrepreneurship. If you would like to learn more about starting a business, check us out at ofbv.network.