Does playing video games help you succeed at work?
Promotions and higher salaries: playing video games as a child would support a more prosperous professional career
3' min read
3' min read
Those who played video games as children now generate higher annual fees and are more likely to get a promotion
Spending too much time in front of the screen, be it for play or work, undoubtedly does not provide many benefits for personal health and well-being. However, there is a recent survey conducted by educational video game developer Prodigy Education - of 1,001 Americans and 34 small communities on Reddit - that highlights an unexpected situation: despite the fact that video games have always been associated with social isolation, violent behaviour and poor performance results, their use in childhood would support more successful and flourishing professional careers.
According to the survey data, those who enjoyed playing video games as children now earn an average of $5,451, or around €5,012, more than those who resorted to other forms of entertainment, with FIFA players earning higher average salaries than others, and PlayStation console owners earning 12% higher annual salaries than keyboard gamers. There is also comforting data on the career progression front as the chances of promotion would increase by 71% for those with a gamer background.
Interestingly, almost all of the parents surveyed, 95 per cent, let their children play video games: from the development of problem solving skills to greater stimulation for creativity, the reasons for this decision are diverse; also contributing to this is a positive development of cognitive skills and a positive school performance: the analysis, in fact, shows that 48 per cent of the children allowed to play video games obtain excellent grades at school - A or equivalent.
The subreddit analysis, on the other hand, showed a correlation between intelligence and positive or negative attitudes of the players: it was found that the community of League of Legends players had a higher level of intelligence, indicated by the number of unique words used in their posts and comments in the community, followed by the users of Hearthstone and Super Smash Bros. A very positive climate among Nintendo Switch owners.
