I saw a Reddit thread this morning that I wanted to reply to, but couldn’t. I’m still nervous about posting replies to threads on Reddit since I know how awful the general masses of The Internet can be, but I drafted an awesome response and I wanted to put it somewhere, so I figured I would post it up here.
The thread was in r/AskReddit and asked something along the lines of, what makes you so qualified?
Here is my drafted response.
I’ve got over 18 years experience handling a massive variety of challenges as tasks. From resource and personnel management, to strategic planning and execution. From leading teams to tackling projects solo, I’m more dedicated and passionate than anyone else I know. It’s a combination of information literacy, research, trial and error, and late nights, all in the name of success.
I’ve organized teams from the ground up to come together and accomplish some serious feats of problem solving, physical dexterity, critical communication, and teamwork. Many times under extreme pressure, time constraints, or both. I’ve handled disputes, disagreements, and potentially life-threatening altercations. I’ve also had the joy of supporting newer folks in accomplishing some truly impressive achievements.
I play mostly a support role, at least that’s how I self-identify the leadership positions I’ve held, although I’ve been known to step up into any role or position that is needed of me in order to get the job done. I’ve been called upon several times by other people to come in and do what no one else could, most often, to be a leader.
My degree is in psychology, so I have a strong understanding of the human factors at play, from stress management, “psyching-out” competitors, managing ones own emotions and expectations, it’s been massively helpful in understanding what’s really going on, and being able to leverage that knowledge to help my teams grow and improve.
I’ve dedicated most of my life to my passion, and I’ve never made a single cent on it, but I’m not here complaining. I’ve enjoyed it all, the hard parts and the easy parts, but man I’d love a little recognition, and if someone wanted to offer me a job in the field I’d love that too, but it’s so hard to get noticed.
This should be on my resume, was my immediate thought. If I could have the chance to explain my gaming history like that to some hoity-toity executive, I would sound so qualified, for whatever kind of leadership or management position. Now, I don’t want to work at some big company doing that, I’d like to find a way to get paid for my writing, or gaming somehow, but I don’t have the right connections or degree of influence (for now).
I just think that it should be more acceptable to talk about gaming in terms of real-world applications. I really have started teams from nothing. I’ve been the second-in-command for a guild in World of Warcraft, where I was the main healer, and raid leader. It was my responsibility to schedule 10+ people from all around North America to come together at one time and one place, and give a handful of mini-presentations on how to kill each boss to all these people. THEN heal and keep everyone alive, AND set down markers for people to know where to stand, AND set markers on enemies so certain people knew what to do to those specific targets, AND watch several timers so I know when to set all those markers, AND call out in voicechat for everyone to move, or do a thing, AND call out other players abilities that have long cooldown times so they know when to use them, AND still be healing and keeping everyone alive. It’s a feat, it really is, and I’m super bummed I don’t get any credit for it.
You never get to talk about that stuff. Even in interviews where you might get to say “I was part of the management organizing a 10-person team.” as soon as you bring up that it was in a videogame, no one seems to care.
The issue that is so strong about this for me, is that those are what are called Transferable Skills, in the employment world. I’ve spend about four years working in vocational counseling/employment services, particularly for “youth” ages 16-24. In those jobs, the agency has run workshops on transferable skills, asking people what sort of volunteer, or work experience they have, but for so many youth, some of their best communication experience comes from online gaming, which is frowned upon to talk about.
In addition to that, we’re worried about kids being able to communicate with other human beings, but when they need to find a group of 4 other people to run a dungeon, there is some communication involved, and on consoles, lots of that communication is done over headset, really talking to people, like you might on a phone in real life.
Gaming has so many positives, from transferable skills, to being the (I think) best source for human beings to come together to tackle complex problems and work together to accomplish goals. It’s so massively impressive what gamers can accomplish, and it’s a damn shame the world hasn’t caught onto the awesome skills and dedication we people have.
So yeah, that’s what makes me so qualified to write about gaming and my skills. That’s why I started Red Hoodie Games, to try to use gaming to help people learn real-life skills. That’s why I’ve been thinking about streaming games again. Between writing and talking, running RHG workshops and creating content for that, I would basically have a full-time job, that I love. I just need to monetize it, and that’s the last thing I really want to do.
This post isn’t about money though, it’s about making a statement that the world needs to pay more attention to gamers, and give them the space to talk about their experiences. If you’re interested in learning more, I’d recommend the book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal. I’ve been following Jane since I first learned of her in college over four years ago and I think if anyone can make the world listen to gamers, it’s her. I hate admitting that, because I wish it was me, but I haven’t written written a book, given a TED talk, or amassed a following (yet).
