A recent study commissioned by YouTube a Censuswide highlighted the fundamental role of gaming in the enrichment of professional skills of the new generations in Italy: playing can help in the world of work. The study shows that gaming is not just a pastime for kids, but a precious resource that is often underestimated in the world of work.
Gaming and the world of work, playing develops soft skills
According to the investigation, the 69% of Italian recruiters would positively consider the mention of a passion for gaming within a CV or during a job interview. Il 52% of God’s recruiter believes that gaming facilitates the search for employment. Even more significant is the fact that the 64% of the recruiter would be more inclined to hire an individual who is passionate about gaming, able to talk about the skills acquired through this activity.
For recruiters, gaming is a source of relevant skills. According to 64% of them, gamers are often able to skilfully transfer the skills learned in gaming to the work context. In particular, skills like strategic thinking (42%), problem-solving (39%) and ability to remain calm under pressure (36%) are among the most likely among those who practice gaming as a hobby.
The investigation highlighted that strategy games, business simulations and real-time strategy (RTS) video games emerge among the game genres that contribute most to the development of useful skills in the world of work.
Gen Z is little aware of this
Despite this evidence, the 32% of young people interviewed believes that i recruiters and employers do not look favorably on the players. And only the 40% of young people would mention their passion for gaming in their CV, using the opportunity to discuss the skills they have acquired. Only the 22% of Gen Z believe that gaming offers more opportunities to develop useful skills in the workplace.
Ian StoreyDirector of Hays, a company in the sector recruitment, highlights the importance of skills acquired through gaming in the current job market. Storey says it is crucial “to include gaming as part of your CV, the question is how do you make it relevant to the job you are applying for or how does it make a candidate more interesting as a potential employee.”
Second Mathew Barr, Senior Lecturer in Computing Science at the University of Glasgow, gamers have understood the link between gaming and work. He explains: “For decades we have been told that playing a team sport, for example, is a good thing. The same can be said about team video games. Indeed, in the digital world the type of online cooperation required by video games is perhaps more relevant than ever.
The role of YouTube
On the sidelines of the study, YouTube underlines the link with gaming, with over 2 trillion total views in 2022. Gaming content on YouTube has attracted more than 500 million registered users per day in December of the same year, with over 120 billion hours of viewing.
Francesca Mortari, YouTube Director for Southern Europe, commented: “Millions of people turn to YouTube to learn and improve, even in gaming: according to our survey, through gaming it is possible to develop some of the most useful skills in the world of work. I was especially happy to discover that recruiters appreciate what gamers can bring to a work team and company. And I can only be proud of the role played by YouTube creators in this learning journey, which brings a passion born offline to have such a strong impact online too.”