Why Startups Should Only Hire Good StarCraft Players

Like I said in the other thread, I started Shopify build it up to 30 something employees and run it as CEO.<p>I play Starcraft2 right now and am usually in the top 10 of my diamond league. In fact the company is almost completely stacked with video game players. The article here is probably not taking itself very seriously but it's definitely close to what I've done ( unconsciously ) and it works extremely well.<p>It sounds silly but the day to day work of a CEO isn't very different from playing a game of Starcraft.<p>Before starting a startup I used to compete in many gaming tournaments. Not sure if that helped me much in preparation for becoming a CEO but it definitely got me started on programming. My first programming project was to decode the network protocol of quakeworld and create a proxy server that could inject all sorts of useful information into the network stream. Cool stuff.

Mastering an extracurricular activity can be very good for your work ability. This article's list is StarCraft-focused, but similar lists could be made for several other games. NetHack taught me to type thousands of characters in a row without making a mistake or losing focus, and to use absolutely every resource; Descent taught me to visualize space and motion; Left 4 Dead taught me how to stay cool under pressure.<p>We need not limit ourselves to games, either. How many useful skills does one acquire in the process of becoming a quality musician, playing competitive sports, or raising a child?<p>I wouldn't advocate only hiring good StarCraft players, but I would advocate looking for people who are awesome at <i>something</i>.

Damn, here I am trying to learn Haskell and master Lisp, and it's really getting good at Starcraft I should be focusing on.

I feel a profound sense of relief that we have moved on from "Why WoW is the New Golf".<p>I suspect that I might actually be able to play Starcraft without it taking over my life. Though I have so far been loath to test this theory.

- Good StarCraft Players Play StarCraft All The Time, And Don't Invent And Build Real Things.<p>- Good StarCraft Players Know How To Configure Their Video Card Settings, Making Them Savvy Enough To Deploy And Manage Business Servers.<p>- Good StarCraft Players Master A Small Predictable Walled Garden, Not The Vast Outside Ever-Changing World Of Business.<p>Seriously. Using that logic, you can make the argument that a porn star who has a high PPM (penetrations per minute) should be hired by startups. ;)

RTS games always seemed to me like nothing so much as a test of how much manual busy work somebody will tolerate.<p>If I were to hire people based on their ability to play any game, it would be Go.

StarCraft players do not have a monopoly on the virtues listed in this article.

Fun article, I agree the same principles in the article can be applied to many skill based hobbies.<p>The thing I love about Starcrack is how dynamic each game can be. The three races are so different and unique, yet balanced. There are so many different ways a game can end; there is a counter to every counter. You have to manage economy. You have to manage army production. Technology upgrades, information reconnaissance, micro-harassment, army positioning. Your brain has to be on top of everything, and you have to make decisions quick.<p>Its like compressing your startup work-life into a 20 minute simulation. Its kind of crazy, I actually get a bit of adrenaline and nervousness from wanting to win so badly.

Without too much effort I can translate this to:<p>- only hire white males<p>- under 25<p>- without much of s social life beyond other &#60; 25 year old males<p>- but if your target market is under 25 males and you don't plan to deal with government laws that will screw you because of the the bigotry.<p>Then you're good.

I've did a lot of gaming when I was younger, and always on a super competitive level. I think it's more that personality trait of close to obsessive competitivity that translates into being good employees, or anything they put their mind to for that matter. Some of the things you list are very concrete in-game examples, but I feel can all be summarized as a result of people taking the game more "serious". But you definitely have a point.<p>Would I ever mention anything about my gaming history on a job interview though? Unless I know the interviewer would be really into it, sadly, no.

The article is interesting, but short on evidence.<p>Has anyone in academia performed psychometric testing on game players versus non-game players?

Have any of you detractors even played starcraft? I'd like you to try it. For all intents and purposes, starcraft (or any other real time strategy game) is essentially training for effective resource allotment, time based strategic planning, and command/control skill. All managers should be have to be excellent players.

That's a huge generalization. Different games test different skills. Some skills apply to things like startups, some don't.<p>Disclaimer: I suck at starcraft, so naturally I disagree with this post.

This title gave me my biggest smile tonight :)

Love it! "They know when to Expand"

I'm sorry, but being good at Starcraft only means that you're good at Starcraft.

Only?

I'm gold ranked, but I think the time the person spends honing their craft is important too.<p>You want to look at what kind of code projects (if you're hiring a programmer) they have in their portfolio that they made of their own accord.

brilliant; insightful; lucid. this piece deserve front page of the utne reader, let alone hacker monthly.