How Video Games Can Make You a Better Event Planner

It wasn’t so long ago that video games were considered to be little more than time wasters. I’m happy to report that this is no longer the case – as gaming’s grown more popular and the games industry more profitable, gaming has become increasingly more advanced. Today’s video games aren’t just a means of passing the time – they’re hours-long, immersive experiences.

And they can actually teach you a great deal about…well, everything. That includes event planning. Yeah, I know, it’s kind of a strange idea. Just bear with me here.

Scheduling Through MMO Guilds

I have a great deal of respect for anyone who’s capable of leading a successful raiding guild in World of Warcraft (or a similar title). It’s effectively a full-time job – you’re coordinating and scheduling an entire team, dealing with disputes between players, working out strategies for instances and raids, managing guild finances and equipment, and delegating tasks to members of your guilds; you also need to have enough charisma that people will listen to you.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

Logistical Management Through Strategy Games

Running an event can be something of a logistical nightmare – you’re expected to micromanage to a degree that most people aren’t even remotely capable of.  There’s actually an entire genre of games where micromanagement is one of the biggest keys to success. The people who are most skilled at strategy games are those who know how to both think critically and skillfully manage their resources.

Again, both are skills that are vital in the field of event planning.

Visualization In Sandbox Games

There are three things that are important above all else in a sandbox game – I’m talking along the lines of Minecraft – curiosity, the capacity to be creative, and the ability to visualize whatever you’re building.  You’re essentially being turned loose in a completely open world, and left to your own devices. If you don’t possess a great deal of curiosity and creativity, you’ll likely end up bored in short order; if you’re not able to visualize things, then you can’t really build.

Same deal with planning events and arranging the layout of a conference floor – a certain degree of visualization is necessary, and it goes without saying that without creativity,

MOBAs Can Teach You To Keep A Cool Head

I’m going to be completely honest here – MOBAs are some of the most stressful video games in the world, especially when things aren’t going your way. After all, it’s incredibly frustrating to lose a game because of a teammate, or to deal with an incredibly rude player either on your team or the other. The thing is, if you start to get stressed or angry, you’re going to play worse – to the point that there’s a very good chance you might lose. It’s vital to keep a cool head.

Stress is your enemy in every profession – and event planning is particularly prone to it.

General Time Management

Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got time management. Here’s the thing about gaming – I love it, but if you’re not careful, it can completely consume your life. I’ve seen it happen before. To play video games and have even the remotest success in the real world, you need to be able to manage your time.

You could say something similar about event planning, really – unless you’re skilled at time management, you’re not going to get far as an event planner.

Game On

Gaming’s changed a lot over the years. Far more than just a means of passing the time, today’s games are practically a lifestyle all their own. What’s more, many of them require a set of skills which, in the context of event planning, are invaluable.