My job role is a Technical Lead. When researching some cloud technologies for adoption I came across the Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s Landscape web page which lists all cloud technologies that come under their umbrella.
The sheer number and variety of them made me realise that perhaps players of games like Magic The Gathering or Dota would probably feel right at home when designing cloud applications since the job involves identifying apps that synergize with each other and min-maxing their costs.
So I was curious if there were more such examples where gaming skill could translate well to real life jobs?
Anyone who runs a guild, clan, corporation, or what ever your games group title is 100% has the skills to be a manager outside of cyberspace. If its a themepark MMO like wow, getting 10-25 nerds to clear their schedules to show up at the same time is a feat of organization, and your skills can be put to better use. If that group is a corporation in EvE Online, put that shit on your resume (I do). When I was at EvE Fanfest in 2023, there was a presentation on exactly this, a space game about cosplaying as a machiavellian space warlord turns out has a lot of overlap with being a manager in meat space.
I’m so torn up about Even Online. On one hand, I love the idea of flying around in spaceships and doing shit in space. On the other hand, I’m endlessly confounded by how it’s supposedly in reality a business simulator with a space theme.
Its the hardest and best MMO to not play.
The gist is basicly it has the most complex in-game player organizations/managment and shockingly few “rules”. Your not allowed to RMT*, dont cheat the game client, and your not allowed to impersonate a dev/mod. Beyond that, go nuts, so the space conflict is real, the politics is real, the espionage is real. The actual game is very math focused, and slow (the server runs at a 1hz tick, most other MMOs are 60+) and that allows those big fights that make mainstream gamer news as armies of 10k angry nerds all try to murder their space rivals.
TLDR: I love the game. The people there are some of the most intense MMO players out there, its not everyones cup of tea because its spreadsheets in spaceships.
One thing I’m wondering is what part players play. From what I understand Eve doesn’t really have any kind of power fantasy to offer players, it’s pure business? Does that mean every player eventually becomes a cog in one of the big machines that run the world of Eve, much like in real life?
Functionally yes, being a worker bee in a large alliance is probably the most normal MMO expirence you can get. Fleets are called, you will have your own corp leaders that act as HR for the alliance, you go farm the space or just chat in stations with your friends. The power fantasy is there as well, but the process to get there involves being much more specialized and flying expensive things (Titans are 2k$ golden space coffins).
The nice part is being a cog is optional, but recommended, its a much more social game. Hell, ive been to several of my former corp mates weddings, and the Iceland/Las Vegas convention manyl times. The stress about going it alone mostly stems from the games rules of engagment. In a majority of star systems (anything not High Security space, but that opens up a new can of issues), if your alone, you truely are alone and people in the local system should be treated as hostile by default (if you can even see they are there).
It really does sound like a second job. Complete with work conventions and chats in the break room/water cooler until you have to get back to work. I suppose there would be a sort power fantasy in being able to buy a fancy yacht for oneself.
You are 100% correct. Im semi-retired (winning) from the game and while I remember my time cosplaying as a space bureaucrat fondly and will attempt to get involved every year or so. I do not wish some of aspects of that game on my worst enemies.
You’re not wrong but you got to keep in mind players actually want to show up, as opposed to workers who don’t always want to show up but have to. No matter how good is your management, one sample has a significant bonus to their motivation which has nothing to do with management. Also, it often happens with guilds that players who want a reliable team move away from guilds with inactive or unreliable players and hop around until they find one dominated by a majority of active, reliable players.
Your correct, there is a big difference between wanting to be better at a game and wanting a job to put food in your face. A good guild leader/manager will recognize that and plan accordingly, but the methods they employ to gets people to do things is the same, to the point we had a catch-phrase for it.
In EvE you have four currencies, ISK (money), Time, Content, and Trust. You can buy 3 of them.
Ive had good guild leaders and terribad bosses, regardless of the motivation, people organizing is a skill and if you phrase it correctly, you can 100% put your guild leadership role on a resume.
Organizing, teaching and leading raids absolutely helped with my leadership skills and IRL confidence!