The Top 5 Things Learned from Videogames

Aside from training gamers into being capable of wielding semi-automatic rifles from having trained on left clicking all these years, videogames have other things to teach. With that in mind, Scott Sharkey has compiled a list over at 1UP of the top five things he’s learned from videogames.

And, no, stealing cars and firing weapons didn’t make the list.

Goal Setting: My prior life as a corporate mook left me suffering through I-have-no-idea-how-many Franklin-Covey seminars, but faux-leather organizers or tedious homilies about mice and cheese never did a damn bit of good — other than helping me realize that, wow, my job was a wank. In terms of setting goals and managing time, there’s a lot more to be gained from, say, The Sims. What’s my character’s ambition? Well, the last time I played, it was to make out with as many people as possible before killing myself with a toaster. Not a very good ambition — but it was an ambition nonetheless, and I’d created it for myself. Just about any game requires players to decide on their goals while setting milestones. Whether it’s to have your base expanded by the five-minute marker or to spec your Night Elf Druid for PvP, the ability to commit yourself to a goal while planning the steps to get there seems better reinforced by a good game than a droning lecture.

Head over to 1UP to check out the entire feature.