From MMO to CEO

Once thought a passing (albeit enormous) fad, gaming has established itself as a mainstream staple, rising to prominence in the league of comparable mediums like movies and television. What’s more notable is those that have grown up in this entertainment phenomenon, an entire generation indoctrinated with video games, who’s vernacular is peppered with newly refurbished turns of old phrases, and a pantheon of memorable experiences foreign to the old growth that precedes them. The Entertainment Software Association released it’s annual report findings, which revealed that 65% of American households play computer or video games, and what’s more surprising is 59% of those gamers play with others in person.

Which falls in line with my own experience, as the first time game I ever played a video game was in a crowded room of boys from my Little League baseball team all clustered around a screen. To my generation gaming is the Rock and Roll revolution of the baby boomers, fragmented experiences using games have helped comprise the landscape of my formative years and produce the kind of person I am today.

For years I have also seen the bittered cry of those that dismiss gaming as a distasteful habit of sloth and intellectual erosion, a vehicle of the gradual disintegration of values and work ethics that were once so ingrained into our culture. While condemnation of the passions undertaken by their offspring is nothing new, it does raise the question to me of the impact my gaming generation has had, and will continue to wield on the world. To fully understand the influence it has on my generation, we must first grasp the scope of it’s evolution, from pastime to permanent fixture, and it’s resounding implications on the world in which we exist.

In 2007 Bungie Studios released it’s anticipated close to an acclaimed trilogy Halo 3, a game in which you played a cybernetic suited space marine that quashed the ambitions of alien races intent on the destruction of the universe. On its North American release it netted $170 million dollars on opening day, surpassing all other venues of entertainment in terms of sheer gross earnings. Overcoming by a large margin the biggest movie release to date, The Dark Knight, which rests at $158 million or the final installment of the Harry Potter Franchise who moved 11 million copies worldwide on it’s release day. According to Blizzard entertainment the massive multi player online role playing game World of Warcraft has drawn over 11 million subscribers to it’s universe of swords and sorcery, half the population of Australia, and those numbers continue to climb with the release of each expansion.

Video games are an enormous industry parallel to the once great powers of music and television, their growing influence is felt in every facet of American society, and those lasting impressions garnered by its presence have helped shape the gaming generation as they inhabit the work force of today’s businesses. Those that grew up on Mario and Sonic, are now in their twenties and thirties each connected by their singular experience of playing video games. If you want to connect to a guy in his mid twenties, the bridge is no longer sports or cars, it’s Excitebike or Duck Hunt, icons of their youth that spring to mind similar shared experiences.

As a kid I can remember countless times I found common ground with others through games, soccer team mates that would lend me a game genie, or spending a night blasting through an alien wasteland with a close friend; video games have served me well as a medium of communication through which a semblance of familiarity is found in others. Lending itself as a constant excuse to socially interact, casual friendly machines like the Nintendo Wii or games like Rock Band have developed into ready made bonding agents, culturally appealing to a diverse mixture of personality types and interests. And that is the intent of every good game, to nurture relationships between people, giving each a portioned role to develop in contributing to the dynamics of social inclusion.

But what do those contributions translate into when introduced to the fast moving waters of mainstream culture? The old stigma surrounding video games was that they would land you in a permanent residence in your parent’s basement, where you would remain;unemployed and pale as your fleeting aspirations. Although that mindset, applied to the generations before us through comic books and television, has begun to fade into the back of the general population’s conscience as we all begin to pick up controllers; it still lingers in the habitual lexicon of those that misunderstand video game culture. Video games help make canon those values sought after in the ambitions of a successful person, bringing to the forefront qualities like loyalty, competitiveness, and self reliance.

A cursory glance at one popular aforementioned game World of Warcraft, shows the underlying ideals instilled in the players through interaction with the world created by Blizzard. Through teamwork and the progressive honing of individual characteristics, players are taught that reward and accolade are given to those that work with others. Insurmountable objectives are toppled by an efficient team that communicates the needs and actions to one another, while individual preparation for those objectives plays an essential role in the success of their efforts. The competitive nature of humanity is also drawn out through constant vying for the spotlight in Roman-like arena matches or larger mission based Battle Ground clashes, where the emphasis of combined effort are again a driving force to the success of its contestants. Exceptions to these values promoted in the game are quickly met with social justice, as players that develop a reputation for selfish endeavors and greed are meted with public blacklisting, and in extreme cases are relegated to solitude, as guilds and groups of players refuse to interact or include them in quests for equipment.

Leadership is a vital quality in gaming, the assessment and allocation of talent in the world of video games means the difference between winning or losing. Quick tough decisions must be made by an appointed head of organizations or clans and guilds, who gets what, when, where, and how are questions asked daily of those that take the mantle of leadership. And winning bears great importance to gamers, a survey given by the authors of Got Game shows that 25.7% of frequent gamers age 18-34 believe that winning is everything, compared to the 14.4% of non-gamers that say the same; reflections of the tenacity inspired by the simulated challenge incorporated into video games. Although it may be first instinct to question the motives of those that make such a bold statement, because after all winning isn’t everything, how you get to that point really shows the strength in character of the individual; we can also see in another of their surveys a mere 20% of frequent gamers compared to 28% of non-gamers say that the best way to make a decision is to make it on their own.This shows us that players do not forsake ethics in favor of reward, instead measuring their own wants and desires against those of the groups. Displaying democratic tendencies that mirror those in the gaming world, where each person gives voice and helps structure the ambition of an organization. I have in my own life applied experiences gleaned from interacting with others in video games to real life consequence, using important lessons on how to manage people and empathize with their needs and aspirations to find a collaborative goal conducive to both of our desires.

At first glance video game culture may appear a simple entertainment trend, flourishing in the last few decades with the careful attention of its devoted fans. But upon closer inspection we see the effects it has on those people that practice it, its influence in shaping their outlook is profound and far, touching lives well beyond its immediate reach. As an ambassador of this new generation of gamers I have always felt an obligation to represent the best of my people. Memories I cherish that revolve around video games have always given me hope in the potential of its imprint of our lives, that this slow ascendancy into the roles of those that come before us will be an evolution of betterment, woven by the threads of common ground seen in all of us.