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Where Pinoy pop culture and the digital domain collide

by Ignatius Javellana, Philippines

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Developing management skills through MMORPGs

Feb 14, 2007 13:52

The title caught your eye, didn't it?

False claim? Not a believer? Don't play MMOs? Fine... let me see if I can convince you.

I've been on and off playing World of Warcraft for nearly two years now. Heck, I'm such an old WoW gamer that I was fortunate enough to be part of the Closed Beta way back when. Ever since that day I stepped into Azeroth and donned my virtual alter ego, I've been hooked. I completely let go of the other MMOs I had lined up all because WoW satisfied all my MMO needs.

But I'm not here to talk about how WoW converted me to a WoW-dict--I am a self-confessed diehard Azerothian (and now, since the expansion, an Outlander). What I am here to expound upon is why playing an MMO in this day and age has the potential for personal growth, more particularly, the possibility of honing your managerial and leadership skills.

On leadership
Take leadership and responsibility as well as the wisdom to see when it is needed. Sometimes you may have to take hold of a group of people or a party and say "here's what we have to do" or "come with me if you want to live". Other times you have to just let it go when someone else has the reins--dual leadership will, of course, inevitably lead to a messy situation--or when leadership is not required, say all you have to do is kill a couple of easy mobs.

Granted, there's the fear of being told "you're a noob" or something similarly degrading, but if what you believe is right, or you really do know what you're doing based on experience, it helps build that confidence and helps you stand up for yourself--you know, take hold of the reins yourself and steer the steed to the finish line. It also teaches people to read up and research more before getting into something they are not familiar with.

Anyway, we don't have to tell each other how sometimes at work or in school, projects get assigned haphazardly with no real structure to it, just an objective. It's times like these that being more confident of your abilities becomes the catalyst to eventually allowing you to take on the role of leader.

More often than not, after going through a successful run, word gets out that you're a good raid or party leader, and that you know your way around these places, and that you're fair and just with loot. Being a "nice guy" goes a long way, too, in becoming well-known in raiding. In fact, it's a great big tip on the loading screen: Be polite while in group, you may get invited again. Or something.

On guild management
On a larger scale in WoW, there are people of like mind (or, more preferably, like time zone) who decide to group together and form a guild. Of course, each guild is different from the next in that their objectives, culture, even language being used in guild chat determine the type of guild they will be. And each of these guilds require some form of organization, including figureheads or managers if you will.

Managing a guild is a lot like a full-time job--you have people under you with different personalities, all of whom have different skill sets and specialties; you have raiding schedules to maintain and keep, plus a Web site and message boards on the side; and you have inventory and loot to manage and distribute among your guildmates. Some GMs (guild masters) assign officers which act as the immediate or middle management team, while the people under them serve as lower management or, depending on the rungs and size of the guild, act as the grunts, peons, laborers, you name it. The smaller, the better, though... at least in my experience.

I guess you could say the same about a company. Having a big company has its pros and cons, as is with a small company. I work for a medium-sized 30+ person strong company and, coming from an almost 80+ people raiding guild, to managing a slim 20+ people in the smaller guild, I know more or less what "big" feels like, and how easier it is to coordinate with a smaller group. But when times are tough and you need more warm bodies to help succeed in a particular dungeon... having no more people on reserve in a small guild becomes a detriment.

The great thing about having such a huge guild is that not a moment in-game is boring--someone's always up for a little guild chat, and everyone else can either listen or chime in when they have something to add. Plus, in most guilds, you get a lot of help from the veterans and companions to go with you on your travels. Big guilds can function with or without leadership--there's always someone in there willing to start something, be it a raid or a PVP run or a quest grind, or willing to lend a hand for whatever purpose. And the great thing about it is there are usually more than enough officers online to lend a hand with administrative requirements, like tracking DKP (or raiding points), keeping attendance, etc.

Personalities shine in big guilds, as the more enjoyable people are almost always greeted with big HELLOs once they log in, while the wallflowers log in and out without so much as a peep. And you really get a feel for people you can depend on, as these are usually the ones who are first to ask you if something's wrong, or send you an in-game whisper asking what's up.

As a leader, you have to be able to talk to everyone and have the instinct to know who has management potential, who you can trust to be a responsible leader, etc. It's not always hit-and-miss, too, since most guilds interview people before they are approved membership.

Overall, how you treat people nets you the respect and admiration you deserve--on and offline. And great leaders are remembered not for their great strategies in battle or the amazing armor they got from a particular heavy-duty boss, but for how well they managed their people and how they commanded the respect of their peers without resorting to negativity.

On money matters
Economics and finance also have a place in WoW, and trust me, the more perceptive and calculating players are well-versed in the more complex facets of the Auction House (AH). Some folks spend days buying and selling items of value in the AH, effectively regulating the market, while others even go so far as figuring out trends and knowing when particular items are more expensive, anticipating the rise and fall of production costs and making projections of the same.

Take for example, during WoW's initial release of the mostly Undead dungeon of Naxxramas (released only late last year)--ice and shadow damage resistance gear (which is not the usual fare for characters) became more expensive. Same thing with the materials associated with the making of said items--these also increased in value and therefore became a hot commodity in the AH.

Knowing trends in the industry based on market research, reading up on materials and finding more data to back up your claims--all of these should sound familiar to you marketing and sales-focused individuals. Funny how these are commonplace in Azeroth, and how the Auction House floor before server maintenance looks a lot like the trading floor of the stockmarket. "Buy! Sell! Aaargh!"

Selling the idea
Clearly, it can be argued that a lot of these things can be trained or learned in the real world, but none of them will be nearly as fun in a virtual setting. Plus the fact that everything is, in fact, in a virtual world, the repercussions of your erratic information, misallocated funds or crass behavior can be easily repaired--much easier than something IRL.

Although I'd like to believe that, as much as people refer to their avatars as a virtual representations of their second self, staying true to your own character makes for a better experience in the virtual setting. So I guess it's safe to say that what you see me in-game will more or less be how I would interact in the world--given that I have a sword, a shield and a summonable steed.

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About Ignatius Javellana

Iggy Javellana, who is now the Head of Advergaming for Level Up! Games Inc., is what you would call a "wired" individual: Online practically 24/7. He's an avid gamer, satiric blogger, budding musician and independent film enthusiast, and still hopes to one day become a rock star.