Starting a business is hard labor. It requires a lot of determination and learning, and only pays off in the long run. If you are currently an employee of another business, then starting your own business is a tough challenge as well as a lifestyle change.

Being a gamer myself, I could relate many elements of the gaming world with the business world. As such, I can apply what I learnt and experienced in the gaming world to real life.

Treating business as a game may not sound like a good idea, however it can be very apt when both in the gaming world and in the real world, we are trying to fulfill our basic roles and responsibilities while achieving our main objectives in business (or in game).

Here are the general breakdown of the typical roles in a business organization, as well as in a gaming “organization” a.k.a party:

Roles in Business vs Game

Sales / Business Development vs Fighter / Tanker / Crusader

Every business organization has a Sales department that generates revenue for the business. It does not matter if you have the best operations in the world or using the most advanced technology in the market, everything could be useless without a Sales mechanism. Similarly, in every party in a game, there is a Fighter. The Fighter is the expert in battle, and generally uses some of the most powerful heavy protective covering and weapons in the game. In other words, the Sales department (or Fighter) is the heart of any business (or game).

Both the Sales department and the Fighter class stay in the front line of the business (or game) to ensure that the team achieves their main objectives. Sales department will be in charge of meeting customers, sharing with them about the product or service that they are selling and to bring in sales. Likewise, in a game, the Fighter class will be the ones receiving the most damage directly from the enemy, and also dealing high amount of physical damage in return, in order to bring down the enemy.

Marketing vs Mage / Wizard / Magician

One of the most essential activities in business today is Marketing because it has a great influence on consumer behavior as well as sales. Marketing is a mechanism to communicate the value of a product or service to customers, for the purpose of promoting or selling that product or service. A product or service that is well marketed will be able to aid the sales of that product or service. Like Marketing, the Mage class is the secondary damage-dealer in a party. Their high damage magic-based spells help the Fighter in bringing the enemy down. And they are usually the class that stays behind the Fighter as they have a lower defense.

Marketing can be done using various methods, and some methods can be effective or ineffective, depending on the products, services, target market, the demographics and many other factors. Therefore, marketers have to study and understand the various factors before carrying out their marketing strategies. In the same way, in games, spell-based attacks are elemental based. Different enemies will react differently to different spells. For example, fire-based spells will be effective against ice-based characters, however, ice-based attacks are usually weak against fire-based character (usually water-based attacks would be more effective). Therefore, the Mage class has to be knowledgeable about the enemy they are dealing with before initiating their attacks.

Administration vs Cleric / Healer / Priest

No business is possible without Administration. We can also say that Administration is the lifeline of any business. It assists the organization at the backend as a support role. The main responsibility of an admin is to ensure the efficient performance of all departments in the organization. It also acts as a connecting link between the different departments and takes care of all the paper works and Administrative processes, so that other departments can focus on their roles in the organization.

Just like the administration, the Cleric class acts as the support role in all games. They usually have low damage output and low defense, thus they are not suitable in the battle-field. However, they can be a game changer, as they are able to heal their team members, allowing them to stay longer in the battle-field. Some Clerics have abilities to increase their team members’ stats, defend their companions and in some cases revive the lifeless, just like the roles of the Administration in an organization.

Operations vs Rouge / Thief

The Operations department of an organization is in charge of making the products or rendering the services that the organization sells. The Operations function brings together raw materials with the production process to produce products that customers need. It is an essential part of the business as it produces the fundamental of what the Sales and Marketing departments need to sell and market. A good Operations department needs to understand the customer’s requirements, in order to deliver the desired products and services.

Compared to the Operations, the Thief class also needs to assess the battle situation in order to help both the Fighter and Mage. They are typically surreptitious and polished class that are capable of activating/ deactivating traps and unlocking various locks. Sometimes, they also have skills like backstab, assassinate to aid their companions in battle-field.

In an organization, a good Operations department will be able to support the Sales department in closing the business deal. Similarly, in a game, a good Thief will be able to support the Fighter in bringing down the enemy by activating or deactivating traps.

In General, How are They Similar?

Both businesses and games must be motivated by objectives. As a business owner, it is essential to set objectives for the company. What is the reason behind setting up a business? What is the mission and vision? What is the business strategy? What is the milestones? What is the desired outcome? All these factors may or may not become the motivational factor of an organization.

In the same way, games are also stimulated by the same objectives. What is the purpose of a party? What is the mission objectives? What is the gaming strategy? What is the mini-objectives? What are the drops for battle? Therefore, it is appropriate to say that both businesses and games have some objectives which will always become their main source of motivation.

In both businesses and games, every team members must understand their roles and responsibilities. They must perform what is expected of their roles, in order to help the team achieve their objectives. A Fighter cannot be a Cleric, similarly the Sales department cannot be the Administration department. They have to carry out their own responsibilities properly, so that their team members in other classes or departments, can focus on theirs.

If we talk about games, we generally think of two or more teams fighting with each other. One team will win and others must lose. This is the basic structure of gaming. In business, all the team members work together to achieve a specific goal. Business is a game itself. Like in games, each role in business strives towards winning over competitors and profit making. For instance, Sales in a business makes best efforts to sell products or services of his company and a Fighter in a game uses powerful weapons to win the battle.

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.

Michael Jordan

Conclusion

To conclude, it can be said that there is a kind of similarity between business and game. In games, each person playing a role in a team focus on their responsibilities to help the team win over another team. In business, the same thing happens, when employees in each department works together with other departments to help the company achieve its business objectives. When the Game theory is implemented in business, it helps in motivating employees and provides them with a sense of direction towards achieving goals. If the whole business operations stay with the fundamental motivation behind the business, employees will never think that it is hard to proceed with the everyday operations.