The skill set you need to properly run a business in very varied – and the list of requirements is increasing. As technology improves and businesses adapt, skills that were never important 20 years ago suddenly become a standard requirement.
Formal training in key areas such as problem-solving and financial management is key, but these aren’t the only ways you can develop your business skills.
This article will explore the utility of games; perhaps surprisingly, games of all kinds can be used as a fun way to learn new things, and their business application may surprise you.
1. SimCity
Within the video game realm, the titles that tend to carry over best to business are those revolving around strategy and planning – and the SimCity series has both of those elements in spades.
The games have players manage all aspects of building and running a city, including the complexities of keeping a tight budget, implementing infrastructure, and even dealing with natural disasters.
2. Sid Meier’s Civilization
The Civilization series has been around for decades, and as you might imagine, the games involve building an empire by taking your civilisation from the Stone Age to modern-day technological advancement.
As is also the case in business, Civilization is all about making critical decisions on the spot and then learning to adapt, as well as building diplomacy skills and developing strong relationships with other simulated groups.
3. Mahjong
Mahjong is a classic tabletop game that originated in China before spreading to the rest of Asia. It’s now become popular worldwide for its focus on strategic decision-making and pattern recognition. The game’s central premise revolves around recognising trends, analysing your opponents, and making tough decisions, and so is, in many ways, a microcosm of everyday business.
4. Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a very simple game, but don’t let that fool you. The biggest carry-over this game has to business is in risk assessment and attention to detail.
The game places the player in control of a small grid with many clickable tiles, some of which contain hidden mines that end the game. It’s a game of probability, where similarly to the need to analyse and scrutinise sets of data in business, players must be careful and deliberate about each and every choice they make.
5. Football Manager
The Football Manager games simulate the role of a club manager who, as you can imagine, must fulfil many roles that translate directly to the business world.
Similarly to SimCity and Civilization, players must have an acute understanding of managing finances and budgets as they relate to managing a team, and then work to motivate their teams to get the best out of them. It’s a game of leadership, and therefore has a direct carryover for those in similar roles – no matter what business they run.
6. Catan
Catan is a simple game with a lot of depth. Players are tasked with controlling a map comprising hexagonal tiles and must gather resources to build roads and settlements to win.
One of the main elements of the game is negotiation and trading. Each session requires you to plan ahead and communicate effectively with your competitors, which has parallels to the concepts of supply and demand and interpersonal relationships.
7. Minecraft
Many consider Minecraft just a kid’s game, but it’s far more than that. Minecraft is a challenge of survival; the game taxes the player’s ability to problem solve in several key areas, developing real-world skills in adaptability and strategic planning.
There’s even an educational version for students that strives to teach these very skills in a school or college setting, representing a key shift in the way society thinks about entertainment and its application in the real world.
8. Stardew Valley
At its core, Stardew Valley is a farming simulator, but it’s deeper than it may initially seem.
The fundamental challenge is time management – a key skill any business should prioritise learning early on. The game pushes players to multi-task and allocate resources effectively, and then invest smartly to grow their farms and increase profits.
There’s also a big focus on personal relationships and engaging with the local community, which is an often underappreciated aspect of modern business.
Wrapping Up
While formal training and real-world experience will always be fundamental for acquiring new business skills, there are unique ways to learn all around us. Remain on the lookout for unconventional ways to develop, as thinking outside the box is a key attribute in and of itself.