Following a sample of employees who were also gamers, the research revealed that playing massively multiplayer role playing games (MMORPG), can have beneficial effects on real-life work through the transmission of virtually practiced leadership skills and active learning behaviours (learning by doing). In the achievement-orientated world of MMORPGs, many of the combat-related activities needed to gain points, solve quests or enhance the social capital of an avatar, hold similarities to common work tasks.
From collaboration to meeting targets, team work to resolve complex missions, strategic planning, allocating resources, to recruiting new players to form groups, there is a clear link between the skills needed to enjoy a good game performance, and the real corporate world. For this reason, the players who have had to manifest good leadership skills and gaming behaviours to succeed in MMORPGs, were more likely to see these characteristics spill over from games to their real work-life. This spill over effect was particularly evident when combined with high performance standards in the game.
