For decades, video games have been brushed off as mindless entertainment and a waste of time. For business professionals looking for ways to grow their business, playing video games is usually the last thing on their mind.
Most have been taught that the only people who waste time on video games are young kids and adults who still live with their parents. However, today, some of the sharpest business minds are flipping that idea on its head.
From Silicon Valley tech leaders to multi-million-dollar ecommerce founders, entrepreneurs are using video games to improve focus, creativity, and resilience. For them, it’s not about escaping life, but sharpening their edge.
Here are some of the ways gaming contributes to giving entrepreneurs the upper hand in business.
Games strengthen grit and resilience
We’ve all either been the kid who throws their video game console or have witnessed someone do it, even just through YouTube. There’s something about failing in a video game that hits extra hard. However, games are full of failure loops, where you die, try again, get stuck, and look for new angles.
When you don’t allow these cycles to get you, the repetition can build grit. Grit happens to be one of the top predictors of entrepreneurial success. In this way, playing video games and engaging in this failure loop conditions your brain to embrace failure as feedback rather than a finality.
Video games are highly portable
With consoles like the soon-to-be-released Nintendo Switch 2, you can take your games anywhere, including on your business trips. Some may even argue that video games are better than social media during downtime.
When you’re stuck at the airport or waiting for an Uber, a quick gaming session can give your brain a mental reset. You’ll be good as long as you have a durable, impact-resistant Nintendo Switch 2 case and somewhere safe to stash it when you’re ready to leave.
Some games are built to train entrepreneurs
Although most video games are either puzzles or fantasy worlds of some kind, a small number of game producers have built games specifically designed to support entrepreneurs. For example, Venture Valley Business Tycoon is a multiplayer business-building game where players build a business from scratch while competing with each other. It’s not going to teach you everything about building a business, but it can help beginners, including teenagers, start to develop an interest in entrepreneurship while learning the basics.
Other games like Zoo Tycoon and Civilization involve managing public perception and overseeing monetary and other resource allocations. All of these are skills that can be directly applied to entrepreneurship.
Games offer enhanced problem-solving skills
Some games require deep problem-solving skills to make progress that don’t come automatically. Games like Minecraft require inventive solutions and you’ll need to think your way through. Not every solution will work, so you’ll also need to refine your ideas and try again. This is just part of how video games can strengthen cognitive abilities.
Video games can boost focus
For anyone who struggles to focus on one thing for long periods of time, video games can be so immersive that it becomes easy to focus for hours at a time. This skill is a superpower when it comes to running a business. Being able to focus on something for hours while it feels like only minutes have passed is the flow state that helps entrepreneurs reach peak productivity and gain access to their best ideas.
Games reduce stress
Burnout is a reality for many entrepreneurs, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Playing video games is an excellent way to decompress on breaks and even on the weekends. Whether you do a few laps in Mario Kart or build something in Animal Crossing, video games offer a mental break from the intensity of running a business. It’s a much better choice than zoning out in front of the TV and eating a whole pizza by yourself.
Video games strengthen pattern recognition
Most games are constantly presenting you with patterns as part of the problem-solving process, and the more you recognize these patterns, the easier the game becomes. This skill can be applied to running your business. For example, when you have strong pattern recognition, you’ll be more likely to spot early indicators of change, whether it’s a shift in the market or a new ad trend.
Play to win
Video games aren’t a waste of time – they actually train your mind and are one of the smartest tools you could add to your entrepreneurial toolkit. So don’t worry about other people’s opinions. When someone objects to you playing video games, you’ll be too busy building a successful business to pay them any mind.
Read more:
Why So Many Entrepreneurs Are Turning to Video Games to Level Up Their Minds