All ye geeks REJOICE!!! It seems stating your MMORPG (which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games for all you who have a life) experience in your resume could land you a dream job. This Wired article centers on Stephen Gillett, a Yahoo! senior manager who got his job in part because he was a top guild master in the online role-playing game World of Warcraft.

The articles suggests that when role-playing gamers team up to undertake a quest, they often need to attempt particularly difficult challenges repeatedly until they find a blend of skills, talents, and actions that allows them to succeed. This process makes them more flexible in their thinking and more sensitive to social cues

Non-gamers seem to think that it is all wishful thinking and begrudgingly scoff, “there’s no way role-playing an orc, an elf or a troll could create a talent pool of savvy managers”.

Personally, to be successful in team play games such as Counter Strike and MMORPG’s, one is required to have many skills beyond taping the mouse and executing perfect head shots.

Counter Strike for example encourages:


Planning – Any self respecting CS clan would have the floor plan of all competition maps - marked with legends, arrows and kopi O stains, and various strategies to infiltrate or secure the designated territory. Contingency plans and cash flow budgeting are also important to bounce back from early loses.


Patience - It’s pointless storming hostile territory ALONE when the enemy is camping at vantage points waiting to pump your body with lead. Wiser to wait for backup and hope to create a diversion with a handful of flashbangs and smoke grenades before charging in.


Watch your back – Back stabbing is probably more prevalent while harder to notice in the real world that in the game of Counter Strike, so it’s a good thing it’s second nature I watch my back to prevent being shot, or more embarrassingly knifed to death. Never assume no one is hiding behind that wooden box or that dark corner. Once the parameter is secured, be a team player and announce (f4), “Sector Clear!”

Online gaming is very similar to CS team play though it usually involves a larger community.


Cross-culture interpersonal skills - Interaction with guild members (especially if in an international guild) is usually limited in-game, therefore it is important to understand and be sensitive to different cultures and ensure that the message conveyed is clear.

Persuasion – Being part of a male dominant community does wonders in enhancing one’s persuasion powers.

The article continues…

In this way, the process of becoming an effective World of Warcraft guild master amounts to a total-immersion course in leadership. A guild is a collection of players who come together to share knowledge, resources, and manpower. To run a large one, a guild master must be adept at many skills: attracting, evaluating, and recruiting new members; creating apprenticeship programs; orchestrating group strategy; and adjudicating disputes. Guilds routinely splinter over petty squabbles and other basic failures of management; the master must resolve them without losing valuable members, who can easily quit and join a rival guild. Never mind the virtual surroundings; these conditions provide real-world training a manager can apply directly in the workplace.

The day may not be far off when companies receive résumés that include a line reading "level 60 tauren shaman in World of Warcraft."