Can highly skilled gamers succeed in real life? Expert: Those who can't lack this characteristic.

Is playing games really useless?

Is playing games really not helpful? Many Asian parents believe that playing games not only delays academic performance, but may also cause children to become irritable, and even learn bad behavior due to the bloody and violent content in games.

However, experts have recently begun to study whether playing games is truly 'useless' or whether skills honed in games can be applied to real life, helping people achieve success in the real world.

Shota Imai, an artificial intelligence expert at the University of Tokyo, and Hiroshi, the founder of a well-known discussion platform, have had a Depth discussion on whether gamers have the ability to succeed in the real world and the connection between games and the real world.

The impact of game genre

Shota Imai observed that different types of games directly influence players' personalities and thinking patterns. The 'success' model of games often involves accumulating experience and resources continuously, and making the best decisions in risks, which can be equally effective in the real world.

For example, players who enjoy strategy games or role-playing games are usually good at formulating long-term plans and have enough patience to execute them over the long term. The planning skills cultivated in the game can help them steadily advance various tasks in reality.

Players who prefer fighting or real-time strategy games like StarCraft or League of Legends often need to think quickly and adapt to changes. They are often able to perform well under competition and pressure, which helps them face challenges and changes in the workplace.

In the conversation, Hongzhi mentioned that he often feels the importance of 'accumulated value' when playing games, and this kind of accumulation is often very useful in the real-world workplace. This 'accumulated power' is manifested as scores or levels in games, and in reality, it is reflected through the improvement of skills and the rise of interpersonal networks.

How can gamers also succeed in reality?

So, what qualities allow some gamers to stand out in the real world? Shohei Imai believes the key is whether or not they can find a similar 'success pattern' in reality to the one found in the game. Successful gamers are often able to adapt to different challenge scenarios, and possess good adaptability and innovative spirit.

For example, the well-known artificial intelligence expert Demis Hassabis is very good at board games, and the extraordinary thinking he exhibits in board games also demonstrates its usefulness in innovative AI research in the real world.

Many poker players also have a different way of thinking from ordinary people. Shohei Imai pointed out that successful poker players often regard all events in the real world as 'probability events' and can increase their chances of success through Risk Management. This 'finding opportunities in uncertainty' mindset is very important for entrepreneurs, founders, or financial investors.

How to overcome the 'low return' environment in reality?

Shota Imai pointed out the reason why some players cannot replicate their success in reality. The reason why game players can shine in the game is usually because the game can provide 'instant feedback' on the player's efforts and allow the player to continue to accumulate a sense of achievement.

However, such a mechanism is usually unlikely to exist in reality. Compared to the direct feedback in games, the real world often requires long-term investment, and results may not be immediate. This may be one of the reasons why some players are unable to replicate success in reality.

Successful game players who want to succeed in reality not only need to adapt to the uncertainty in reality, but also need to learn to maintain motivation even in situations where they cannot see immediate returns. This is difficult for many people to overcome and is the main reason why some excellent players cannot succeed in real life.

From Games to Reality: How to Apply Gaming Skills?

Of course, none of the above is the reason for being addicted to the game. While players achieve success in the game, they must also consider how to bring the qualities shown in the game to reality and cultivate a good mindset to balance the boundary between the game and reality.

Shota Imai suggests that if game players want to succeed in reality, they need to know how to use the skills developed in the game to deal with real-life challenges, including applying strategies, Risk Management, and cooperation skills from the game to life and work, or learning how to establish long-term career plans, set small goals, and gradually achieve them, all of which can help them find a sense of achievement in reality as in the game.

In the end, there may be differences between games and reality, but they are not incompatible. For players who have found successful patterns in the game, as long as they can adapt to the complexity of the real environment and continue to work hard, perhaps they can eventually transform the skills in the game into success in reality.