It is held that about 10000 hours of doing are needed to become an expert in something that is not entirely new. At the same time I have seen observations that many playing games as a hobby easily have such time investments but the question then becomes what useful skills might they have. While truly high level skills might be debated there are an awful lot of lower level ones that are unarguable. For instance I have met many only know how to truly use a map today (I first used a GPS in anger some 20 years ago, they got popular not long after that) because of games.
Similarly on computers themselves. While I may not have lacked an interest in computers it was not that which saw me learn networking but wanting to play Carmageddon with my friends, and as the thing used [long list of profanity removed] IPX networking and it thus saw whole bunch of other troubles to sort first. If you have similar such things then please share.
A few years back there was a news report going round that a guy had learned to do emergency wound care thanks to the America's Army game.
Similarly many of the simulator games that got popular the other year do fairly well for it; an anecdote from someone I know that runs a car garage was that mechanic simulator had seen one of his customers far more able to articulate their problem than the average one.
It need not be at such a level either; all those hours of Tetris might have made you a master packer, did some reference in a game spark an interest in something maybe historical, did playing a computerised version of an activity see you take it up in real life (the skateboard boom of the late 90s and early 2000s very much owing a lot to the first Tony Hawk game), or maybe a game just got you to think about space and forces more than you had previously?

It is of course taken as a given that we are all master gunmen thanks to mouse controls and twin analogue sticks. Though more seriously Goldeneye really did teach me to be ultra observant for security cameras.

This is one of a new series on GBAtemp that considers mechanics in games, game design, concepts in games and related topics. Previously we have discussed games on the PS4 and Xbone that will stand the test of time, games that got better after launch, cancelled games and shuttered devs, and story canon in games. We have a long list of things to cover in the future but guest spots and suggestions are welcome.

 

[Noctosphere]

Maybe team management, because I like srpg.

Now that you say it, I had a Warcraft Clan of over 200 members
but that was years ago lol^^

 

[RedoLane]

English at an early age, hand reflexes, massive boost on information processing from the eyes to the brain, and multi-tasking.
Also more styles of humor lol

 

[AdamFX990]

Singing and, to some degree, bass & keyboard.

I played a lot of Guitar Hero & Rock Band over the past 11 years.

 

[anhminh]

Does autism count as a skill?

 

[Greymane]

English, and some tactic skills and a few other things here and there.

 

[T-hug]

Driving games taught me how to understand gear shifting well before I ever passed my test.

 

[Pluupy]

Visual novels and fantasy games taught me a lot about the English language, so I credit my reading skill to video games.

I'm still learning many new words from games like Final Fantasy XIV.

 

[gameboy]

I learned nothing but pure violence from video games

 

[Justeego]

rhythm by rhythm games, I played classic guitar for 3 years and wasn't able to follow a fixed rhythm, now I can

 

[Taffy]

Games can make you think, encourage you to try new things and experiment. The same holds true for life!
(although generally real life does not involve punching things or jumping off random cliffs, trying to glitch into walls, etc.)

I feel like the games themselves haven't given me many skills aside from forcing me to think occasionally, but deciding to join the Super Mario World hacking (SNES) community was a good choice. Posting on the SMW Central forums has helped me understand that the internet isn't formal, and I've made some lifelong friends there.

 

[Noctosphere]

I learned nothing but pure violence from video games

boooo

 

[Bimmel]

Knowing when someone is lying. Thank you, Phoenix Wright!

 

[Deleted User]

I think, more than anything, video games shaped the way I seem to learn things.

In a video game, there are a set of defined, universal, unquestionable rules regarding how the game works, and, to get good at the games, you must understand said rules and have them work for you. When I played my first platformer, at first I wondered why there were platforms hanging in the middle of the air, without gravity bringing them down or anything. Nowadays, when playing through a platformer, I don't give something like that a second thought; it's all a part the platforming genre's list of implicit rules.

Once you acknowledge that games have rules, you begin to pick up on them much more quickly, making you better at subsequent games in a series or genre. It may even get to the point where you start interpreting learning other skills this way, with several practices having their own implicit rules that you want to make work for you. It can be handy, but also dangerous; any mindset where you're forced into not questioning how things work is particularly dangerous, and something that needs to be addressed.

On a less abstract note, my 3DS basically taught me my first programming language (Petit Computer and SmileBASIC and all that), and is probably indirectly responsible for bringing me to the Console Homebrew scene and GBATemp in general. It's also the reason why I'm currently a Computer Science major. I was really bad at programming at first, though, and, even now, I doubt I'm all that much better.

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

Does being able to play many levels in Sonic Generations without looking, and getting an S rank count?

I'm crazy... Don't mind me

 

[Noctosphere]

Does being able to play many levels in Sonic Generations without looking, and getting an S rank count?

I'm crazy... Don't mind me

Well, I once saw a video of a blind child completing Zelda OoT
many dead link, but seems possible

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

Well, I once saw a video of a blind child completing Zelda OoT
many dead link, but seems possible

Well, that's impressive. But I had muscle memory and I was able to time everything according to sound effects and the music.

 

[Deleted User]

Reflexes. Goddamn reflexes... I was in vacation and caught a very tiny and fast crab while it was pitch dark. They can run really fast! I just saw it from the corner of the eye and immediately catched it by hand without realizing first what it was. Very strange experience and definitely came from gaming.

same here
after playing alot of games like super meat boy I've gotten really good at catching stuff and noticing things out the corner of my eye

 

[FAST6191]

Considerable amount of people learning English from games it seems. Granted I find games considerably more compelling than the language textbooks at school so it is not entirely surprising. More curiously though is I don't often see signs of it -- I am told Japanese has this problem particularly but if you are more familiar with language training then think difference between someone learning from reading and someone learning from listening.

Knowing when someone is lying. Thank you, Phoenix Wright!

You learned that from Phoenix Wright? I could sort of understand had you said L.A. Noire but other than teaching you to read into words and analyse sentences (and technically press people on details*) I don't see it.

*the game never taught it explicitly but if you are used to it then it works either way. Pressing people on details in then a good way to break a rehearsed script, as is asking them to tell it backwards or stop and start at arbitrary places.

I think, more than anything, video games shaped the way I seem to learn things.

In a video game, there are a set of defined, universal, unquestionable rules regarding how the game works, and, to get good at the games, you must understand said rules and have them work for you.

I have issue with the word defined in that.
I like games which have emergent gameplay, and rules that go unstated or undefined until you figure them out. Like read the manual to xbox ninja gaiden and you can expect a fairly standard beat em up, actually get into the game and all but the most unobservant will find there are serious rhythm and timing aspects to the fighting, as well as a few very useful hidden moves.
More abstract you also have games that introduce mechanics and then throw them at you randomly. A game from a little while back called Thoth is probably a good example here, though I see it in everything from some of the Warioware minigames to stealth sections if I want to look at it that way.

I should also say "understand said rules" might only apply in solo games. I got to playing Battlefield 4 on the PS4. I am not anywhere near as good with a joypad as I am/was with a mouse and keyboard, however I found it works really well for me to hang back and keep in cover as it seems nobody else does that and I have easy pickings and minimal danger as a result.

The unquestionable thing I also would ponder further. They are not my main thing but I have done a lot of board games and similar such things. There house rules are a thing nobody really thinks about. In computer games though with most people having behaviours hard coded in basically unchangeable silicon it does alter something fundamental. As it stands were are already seeing the start of this (be it stuff like https://sgimenez.github.io/laby/ or things where you combine aspects in unknowable ways). This is also before we consider mods, be they the classical PC type or the more ROM hacking side of things.

 

[Old]

Masturbatory enhancements.

 

[Farazzakk]

I learned not to leave my kids alone in a crowd. Thanks Heavy Rain.
I feel sorry for all the fathers who have to press 'X' to Jason.