8 project management skills that you gain by playing games

I bet that many of you have heard at least once in your life: “You’re spending too much time playing games,” “You’re wasting your time,” or “You’d better do something useful.” However, in 2023, we know very well that games are not only fun for lazy people, and skills gained by playing can be instrumental in life. What’s more, they are also beneficial when it comes to project management.

What exactly is project management?

Project management is a process that leads to the implementation of the project goals by applying suitable methods and techniques and using appropriate resources, such as human, financial, information, time, or equipment resources. The project is usually managed by a project manager who makes decisions based on the information above.

The project manager takes responsibility for the success of the project from concept to delivery. A person fulfilling this role must use a mix of skills and tools to deliver. Considering the vast number of things you need to care for, it’s not easy.

However, this may be a piece of cake if you are a gamer. These 8 qualities that you develop by playing games can make you a fantastic project manager.

1.  Multi-tasking ability

Imagine living in a post-apocalyptic world where you need to survive. Fighting multiple enemies, watching your health, hiding, crafting supplies, listening to surroundings, shooting, and being aware of your position sometimes happen simultaneously. If you neglect even one of these things, you lose. 

Playing games develops multi-tasking skills that are crucial in project management. As I mentioned before, being a project manager requires juggling resources, taking care of your team, and keeping an eye on the budget. You need to be a master in multi-tasking, and it can be so much easier if you play games and, because of that, switch from task to task much faster.

2. Strategic planning

One of many project manager’s responsibilities is to define the project’s scope and allocate resources appropriately according to a strategic goal. What’s more, resources are often limited, so you need to rack your brain to do that in the most efficient way. It may seem more manageable if you spent hours deciding which unit to lead, how to manage assets, when to start exploring the hidden part of the map, or even which species, race, class, attributes, and abilities to invest to achieve the best result in the end. It is crucial to make decisions adequate to the situation and the state of knowledge at a given moment.

3. Faster decision making

Choose the path through the forest or the bridge, shoot or hit, hide or run away? Or maybe do nothing? In some situations, you have only a few seconds to make a decision that may affect all of the gameplay and change the fate of your characters. It’s similar in real life when you have to mitigate the risk and make the best possible choices quickly. 

Honestly, for project managers, one of the only sure things in their job is decision-making. Budget, time, and team can change, but you always have to call the shots. Although, if you’ve practiced decision-making in games, doing so in real life can be much more effortless.

4. Leadership and moral support

You can learn how to care about your team by playing online games based on teamwork. As a project manager, you bring your team together and must have complete visibility over every team member. What motivates them? What is their workload? Do they get along with each other? Are they valued? 

A project manager must care for their team’s needs and make the environment healthy and friendly. If there is a conflict, you navigate it. If there is burnout, you manage the team’s capacity so everyone can rest. If there is a lot of pressure from the client, you are the shield responsible for juggling all the resources to get the best solution through many compromises without overload and crunch. A situation where your team works extra hours for long periods to meet a deadline or finish a project isn’t healthy and cannot be a day-to-day practice.

5. Enhancement of problem-solving

Games often require logical thinking and problem-solving to achieve goals and win. You have to think about which door to open, which lever to pull, and in what order do some tasks to pass the test and go further in the game. As a project manager, you face a lot of difficulties and obstacles while implementing projects, and you must figure something out to get the job done at the lowest possible cost. Sometimes it takes a lot of time and energy and sometimes can be easy peasy lemon squeezy. You never know what is going to surprise you, and every single day you need to be prepared for some troubleshooting.

6. Improved communication

By playing games in multiplayer mode, you learn how to communicate better and faster with other players to get the best result — winning. Messages in games need to be relatively simple, short, and very accurate, allowing you to receive information faster and take action. Information is the most crucial element of the project, without which it would be impossible to implement it properly. Communication in the team is one of the most significant, if not the most critical aspect of project management, including the feedback loop and the flow of information about resources. Mutual sharing of knowledge is the basis for obtaining the desired effect and achieving project goals.

7. Collaboration and great teamwork

Collaboration is essential in multiplayer games, where the mission’s success depends on great teamwork. Medics, spies, engineers, snipers, and others must work together to achieve the common goal. It’s the same when it comes to projects. Its success mainly relies on teamwork and commitment within the team and with a client. Everyone should know their role in the team and their responsibilities as well as their abilities and capabilities. Team members need to support one another and, if necessary, help with more complicated tasks. In this way, delivering a project on time, within the budget, and in a healthy environment is more achievable.

8. Adaptability

One of my favorite sayings is: “The situation is dynamic, so we have to be flexible.” Everything can change in a game: missions, survival conditions, weapons, people with whom we cooperate, enemies, clothing statistics, and even tactics. In projects, there are constant changes, too, for example, the deadline, size of your team, budget, strategy, or even the main goal. No matter how well you are prepared and how well you have planned all the tasks, I can assure you that something will change. Moreover, change is the basis of agile methodologies, and entire projects rely on it. When caring for projects, you must adapt to the existing conditions at every step and expect the unexpected.

Summary

Project management can be scary at first sight because you don’t even realize how many things you need to remember, what methods to use, and how to juggle resources to get the best result. However, there are some skills that can help you in this journey. It is easier when you are able to multitask and are open to changes, plus you adapt easily  and can smoothly cooperate with your teammates. Project managers and gamers have much in common, and playing games can definitely prepare you to become an excellent project manager.