The relationship between the gaming universe and the business world is much closer than most people think. More and more people have come to see video games as more than simple entertainment, and many successful entrepreneurs have openly talked about the lessons and skills they learned from playing.
One of those entrepreneurs is Tobi Lütke, a German who settled in Canada, CEO of the e-commerce company Shopify and a self-declared StarCraft 2 fan.
StarCraft 2 is a real-time strategy (RTS – Real Time Strategy) game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, the same company behind phenomena such as World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch. Set in a distant future, the game portrays the battle of three different species for galactic domination.
What does this premise have to do with e-commerce and the business world in general? Everything, and that is what we will show in the next paragraphs.
Contents
- Paving your own territory can be more effective than trying to defeat the market’s bosses
- Parallels between the virtual and the real world
- 5 StarCraft 2 lessons that can make a difference in the corporate game, according to Charlie Cheever
Paving your own territory can be more effective than trying to defeat the market's bosses
Image: Nongaap Investing
As we saw above, one of the biggest StarCraft 2 enthusiasts in the corporate world is Tobi Lütke, co-founder and the mind behind Shopify. Created in 2006, Shopify is a company that provides an online platform with all the resources needed to create and manage an online store.
This business model can be compared to the strategy of the Zerg in StarCraft 2. In the game, this species of alien monsters is known for spreading a dark substance called creep, on which their structures (stores, factories, etc.) are built and fed.
In addition, the creep prevents rival species (competitors) from building their structures nearby and makes the Zerg more territorial and their growth on the map harder to contain.
The analogy is simple: Shopify, through its platform (creep), “proliferates” across the market (map) by allowing every kind of company to build and feed its own online store, connecting sales on partner sites such as Amazon, Mercado Livre, Google Shopping, eBay, etc.
In this way, Shopify forms its own army, made up mainly of startups, small businesses and partners spread around the world, and grows stronger, increasingly solidifying its importance in the global e-commerce sector.
Parallels between the virtual and the real world
Tobi Lütke may be the biggest StarCraft 2 enthusiast in the business world, but he is certainly not the only one.
Charlie Cheever, founder of the popular question-and-answer site Quora, is another example of an entrepreneur who talks a lot about the fine line between the goals and mechanics of StarCraft 2 and the needs and strategies of companies, especially those that seek to innovate and win space in the market, such as small businesses.
Inside the game, the main goals are to acquire resources to build bases and structures, expand your territory on the map and build an army strong enough to battle the enemy species.
In corporate life, the main goals are also similar: acquiring financial resources and reinvesting them to build more and more stores/factories and to expand, position and strengthen the company in the market to compete with rivals.
It is a game in which things change constantly. To ensure the success of your combat strategy, the player must always pay attention to the opponent’s actions. The connection with the corporate world is clear.
5 StarCraft 2 lessons that can make a difference in the corporate game, according to Charlie Cheever
1) There is no single way to get something done
Just as players have several resources to deal with each situation in the game, entrepreneurs can also have more than one way to accomplish what they need. It all depends on the analysis and the context of the situation.
2) Micromanagement can make the difference in the most critical moments
Although macro strategy tends to be more important most of the time, attention to micro tasks can make all the difference in moments of great challenge, whether in a StarCraft 2 match or in a critical business situation.
A series of well-executed micro tasks in line with the macro strategy results in a highly competitive market presence.
3) Different people have different skills
In real corporate life, we often come across talented people who are excellent at some specific skill, and we automatically assume that such people are good at everything they set out to do. However, every manager knows that this is rarely the case.
In StarCraft 2, a player has a large number of units available to form an army. Each of these units has its own characteristics that make it useful in specific situations in the game, but not in all of them. For example: immortals are great for fighting tanks, but unable to defeat a banshee.
People management in a company works in a similar way: requirements and aptitudes change from position to position, which is why the careful analysis of résumés and profiles is a basic step of any recruitment process.
However, what many managers don’t realize is that the ideal candidate can come from where you least expect.
In October 2019, a computer science student at the University of Washington turned to the former Twitter (now X) to look for internship opportunities as a software engineer.
The post reached none other than Tobi Lütke, who, upon discovering that the young man was also an avid StarCraft 2 player, didn’t think twice: he offered him an opportunity in Shopify’s internship program.
That is why it is important to do what good StarCraft 2 players do: select the right person for the position or situation in which they are most likely to succeed.
4) Talent is important, but it doesn't work without effort
It is very common to think that a successful person earned their place only because of talent.
But although aptitude is important, on its own it is not the key to success. Gamers, especially professionals, know this very well and are always willing to make an effort, push themselves and practice to keep improving their hard skills and soft skills.
5) Timing is everything
One of the key secrets of StarCraft 2 is performing actions at the right time to gain the greatest possible advantage over your opponent. If an action isn’t taken at the right time, there is no going back. Running a company is the same.
As you have seen, a real-time strategy game like StarCraft 2 can represent much more than passing entertainment. Besides being a lifestyle and a passion for many people, video games are also a powerful educational and business tool.
That is because, when we play, we train our minds to strengthen and develop soft skills such as focus, attention, reasoning, competitiveness, adaptability, resilience, multitasking and strategic thinking.
More than that: the more you play, the more you can draw parallels between the world of games and the real world. What does this produce in practice? More creativity, more insights and even inspiration for strategies, processes and actions to implement in the business routine.
And you, have you also learned a valuable lesson for your business while playing a video game? Tell us in the comments.
