What are your favorite video games? This question could become common in job interviews. According to a study carried out by the human resources consultancy ManpowerGroup, video games help develop skills that can be transferred to the work environment.

Today, many industries are struggling to survive. However, this is not the case for video games, which saw a sales increase of 37% during 2020 according to a market study by The NPD Group. For the specialists at ManpowerGroup, gamers have been doing everything, except wasting time. With their addiction to video games, they may be developing soft skills necessary for the workplace and that is sometimes difficult to find.

In today’s work environment, employers must evaluate skills differently and creatively to attract new sources of talent.

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Chief Talent Scientist, ManpowerGroup

Gamers upgrade their soft skills

Soft skills are becoming more valuable in a work environment where tasks are increasingly automated. According to the ManpowerGroup study, gamers bring critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex problem solving to companies.

With this in mind, ManpowerGroup analyzed more than 11 thousand video games of different genres, such as action, adventure, role-playing games, music, and indie to identify the social skills linked to each of them.

A position such as a warehouse packer, for example, requires skills such as critical thinking, spatial awareness, and problem-solving, which are developed in video games such as Call of Duty or Fortnite, according to the results obtained by the consulting firm of Human Resources.

Your abilities according to your favorite video games

Strategy, Puzzle, and Quiz

Strategy or puzzle games help develop critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and spatial perception. Titles like SpaceCraft, Civilization, Pac-Man, Words with Friends of League of Legends is at its heart planning and concentration. These games enhance the ability to make inferences.

These skills match what is sought in jobs such as production and machinery operators, warehouse and construction workers, or quality control technicians.

Action, adventure, and role play

Action games are becoming more and more social and titles like World of Warcraft, Assasin’s Creed, Monster Hunter, or Pokémon promote collaboration and communication, as well as problem-solving and decision making.

Those who prefer these types of games can be well suited for positions such as Administrative Assistant, Financial Analyst, or Customer Service Manager.

Open World

Open world games improve visuospatial skills and promote creativity. Titles like Minecraft, Legend of Zelda, or The Elder Scrolls improve coordination and social perception. Electrical engineers, graphic designers, chefs, or cooks can be the best positions for these gamers.

Team-playing, Sports and Racing

Some video games help people to give more effective feedback and this is present in titles like Call of Duty, FIFA, Rocket League, or Mario Kart. When people play as a team, they also develop planning, tactical, collaboration, and communication skills.

Positions such as call center leaders or representatives, warehouse packers, or healthcare providers may be the best job matches for these positions.

Indie and Music

Practice and perseverance pay off and this fact is well known by players of titles like Mario Party, Just Dance, Guitar Hero, or Rock Band. These games promote active learning and improve coordination.

Some positions that match these profiles are digital manufacturing specialists, healthcare providers, and sales representatives.

Test to assess video game skills

To better identify the skills developed by gamers, ManpowerGroup created a test for candidates to enter their gaming preferences and how much time they spend playing. This tool translates data into job skills that can be added to resumes and featured in job interviews.

With this tool, recruiters can more easily identify the most promising talents who can offer the most to an organization.