Fifth Of Gamers Believe Their Hobby Has Influenced Their Career Choices

A fifth of gamers believe their hobby has influenced their career choices.

Research of 1,000 adults, who regularly use video games for entertainment, showed 10 percent are already in a career related to their hobby.

More than six in 10 (63 percent) also believe people who game can develop certain skills more effectively than non-gamers.

With rapid decision making (58 percent), cognitive reaction (55 percent) and logic (48 percent) some of these key attributes.

While 56 percent believe gaming is something that helps them relax, and 19 percent like the feeling of creativity it gives them.

Ahead of the Formula E London E-Prix, UX innovation senior manager and spokesperson for the Nissan Feel Electric Festival, Lucian Gheorghe, said: “Gaming is often seen as a fun pastime, a way to kill time, but it can really help you develop some key skills that could even be turned into a career.

“In motorsport for example, gaming is more integral than ever before and the technology constantly evolving. We are excited to demonstrate sim racing technologies to the public, allowing users to compete in a head-to-head race using brain power.

“Sports games specifically, such as motor racing and football, can offer positive opportunities to develop new skills, and to get involved in a movement that’s growing exponentially.”

Nissan’s Formula E Team Sim driver Luca Ghiotto said: “I have less time to do gaming for leisure now that it is my career, but the console is where it started.

“While sim racing is a more advanced form of gaming, the fundamentals of racing on a console at home are also the same, making it widely accessible.

A quarter of respondents consider themselves part of an online gaming community, in places like Discord servers or forums.

It also emerged 58 percent believe playing games helps with their mental health, at least somewhat.

The research also spoke to 1,000 UK children, aged 14-17, who play regularly, and found 52 percent believe gaming has influenced their educational choices.

More than a fifth (21 percent) have picked subjects at school, where possible, they felt would lead to a career in gaming.

But 73 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, claimed they learned gaming skills from their parents, with 87 per cent considering it important to win at all costs when playing competitively.

“It can help show the importance of being able to lose – and win – gracefully, and how to manage frustration when things don’t go your way. These are all valuable life skills that you can take into any career.

“Of course, this is easier said than done when you’re pipped to the post at the last second in a racing game, costing you the championship – but it’s important to try.”

Produced in association with SWNS Talker