No discussion about competitive online gaming is complete without mentioning MOBAs.
But first, what are MOBAs? MOBAs (or Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas) are a type of real-time strategy (RTS) involving two teams of five players fighting on a predefined battlefield.
Each player controls one character that levels up throughout the match and contributes to the team’s overall strategy. The goal of this game is to destroy the enemy team’s towers and then their home base.
Although they’re a relatively new video game genre, it has become one of the most popular forms of video games today. At this point, it’s safe to say that many of us have played a MOBA game at least once.
Aside from being fun to play with your friends (though your experience may vary), you can also gain many team-building lessons from MOBAs. No, really.
For one, video games like MOBAs encourage teamwork and cooperation when played with others. Especially when there’s a cash prize at stake…
If you don’t believe me, here are four team-building lessons you can learn from playing MOBAs that you can apply in remote work.
Let Your Teammates Do Their Jobs.
One of the most common mistakes people make when playing MOBAs is thinking they’re the team’s MVP. Instead of just doing what their position entails, they also try to do other people’s jobs.
That’s why you sometimes see supports (people who play characters that provide heal skills and buffs to teammates) stealing kills from carries (the team’s main damage dealers). And players shifting lanes (the three main zones of the map) without notifying their teammates.
Aside from being obnoxious, actions like these severely hamper the team. When the support thinks they’re the carry, who’s doing the warding and de-warding ( the process of deploying units that increases vision on the surrounding area and countering the enemy’s attempts of doing the same) now?
This lesson can also be applied in the remote workplace. Some employees think the best way to attract favorable attention from their employers is by hogging all the tasks within their departments.
Being a good teammate isn’t just about being good at your job. It also involves trusting and respecting your co-workers enough to let them do theirs.
This doesn’t mean you should never help out when they ask for it, of course.
Familiarize Yourself With Your Role.
A common reason why many players don’t follow their designated role is because they aren’t sure about what responsibilities they’re supposed to carry out within the team.
Of course, it’s understandable for new players to make this mistake. But as you continue to play more games, you should start noticing what roles the characters you play fall into.
Knowing your role better prevents confusion and improves your game performance. Once you’ve become accustomed to it, you can shift to other positions in your team.
Thus, another of the vital team-building lessons you can gain from MOBAs is the importance of knowing your role within your team. This helps you focus on your tasks and zero in on the skills you need to hone – while also preventing you from stepping on your co-workers’ toes in the process.
Focus on Your Objectives.
There’s nothing more satisfying when playing Dota 2 or League than getting a kill, especially if it’s the first kill of the game. However, just like with first-person shooter (FPS) multiplayer games, there’s more to the game than killing the enemy.
Remember, the primary objective of a MOBA isn’t just to get as many kills as possible. It’s to destroy your enemy’s towers on each lane and then destroy their base. Getting kills is just a part of achieving this goal.
Similarly, it’s often easy to experience tunnel vision when doing the daily tasks at your online job. You become mired in routine tasks instead of focusing on your team goals.
To avoid this, try to have regular meetings with your team so everyone can check their progress towards your team’s current goals.
Maintain Eyes on the Map.
In MOBAs, information is gold. The simplest way to get this is by glancing at the minimap from time to time to see what your team is doing. Another way to achieve this is through warding.
Warding the map helps you detect where an enemy push may occur, detect invisible enemies, and know whether someone has been jungling on one part of the map. It helps your team anticipate the enemy’s actions and better plan your next move.
In work, this is also the case. Keeping up to date with what your team is doing increases productivity and avoids disrupting them when they’re doing vital tasks. Additionally, you can do warding by covertly checking what your competitors are doing and using that information to plan your team’s next move.
GLHF!
It may not seem like it at first glance, especially with how stereotypical Peenoise behave in public games, but there are many team-building lessons to gain from MOBAs.
When approached with the right mindset, MOBAs can show how video games can help improve leadership, collaboration, and communication. Just look at the points above.
So if you‘re looking for a fun team-building activity to try with your co-workers after work hours, why not try playing Dota 2, LOL, or Mobile Legends with them? Maybe after a few games, you’ll get to know them better and even function better as a team.
If you’re still queuing for an online job, why not head to Remote Staff to reduce wait time and find the right teammates? Our jobs list has a wide range of available positions, so you’ll never run out of options. Good luck, and have fun!
