As a 37 year-old unreconstructed nerd, I have likely spent more time at the gaming table than I did in the womb. And is all that time wasted? Apparently not!
Hard facts, data, and anecdotes observed along the barbarian coasts of corporate America are accumulating, and they suggest that a little humble tabletop role-playing can make you better at what you do. For starters, check out this video.
But that’s not all!
Harvard puts the ivy in Ivy League, but the ability of role-playing games to change human behavior has not been lost on the crack academics. The Harvard Business Review took note on how jewelry store owner JB Robinson uses role-playing to hone his sales force into diamond-wheeling engines of customer satisfaction. His salespeople are promoted by “levels” and to advance a level, a staff member must pass a test, including a trial by role-playing!
An article from Quartz also suggests that D&D also makes players better managers, where science and technology reporter Christopher Mims catalogs all the things he learned about business from playing D&D. Any gamer worth their D20 will agree that you must have a cleric before taking your party of beer-loving and treasure-heaving adventurers into the Temple of Elemental Evil, unless you want to end up as sashimi for a Shambling Mound. Send nothing but warriors out and eventually they’ll die of their wounds. Send nothing but wizards and they’ll be dead after the first orc farts in their direction. Diversity is one of the keys to success in D&D, and it’s not so different in the business world. A manager trying to build a team with flexibility and depth should seek out employees from a variety of backgrounds.
Have you used your role-playing skills in the real world? Sound off in the comments below!
Feature image courtesy Wizards of the Coast