Gamers Need Not Apply

Oh noes!!! Online gamers in the market for a new job may want to skip any mention of “guild master” on their resume.

A member on F13, a forum for game-related news, recounted a recent conversation with an Australian online media recruiter about his hobby of playing online games like World of Warcraft: “I happened to mention I’d spent way too much time in the early 2000s playing online game… He replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players. He said there is a belief that WoW players cannot give 100 percent because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc.”

You know what, I really cannot disagree with one single thing they brought up right there. I just can't. I often find myself thinking about what our shitty Mage in Grp B could possibly be doing to only crank out 5k dps on Saurfang when I should be focused on the task at hand.

So it's impossible to just dismiss these concerns as mere folly.

Massively multiplayer online games can require a high level of engagement — players must spend long hours playing to advance their characters and participate in game activities like raids. It’s not uncommon for subscribers to log as many as 30 hours per week.

Though it might not be as common as it once was, with the "dumbing down" effect we have seen steadily infiltrating the game over the last couple of years, to play the game at a high level does require a sizable amount of time.

But on the flip-side of things, other online game enthusiasts, such as Joi Ito, a venture capitalist, have argued that online games can double as a training field for players to hone skills in leadership, teamwork and project management.

Whether or not battling with a level 80 Orc Warrior through dungeons in Northrend translates to real-world talents is debatable, but with the popularity of multiplayer online games surging, it also may be unrealistic for employers to screen for applicants who participate in them.

Simply put, they might find themselves dismissing the majority of the prospective employees before they so much as evaluate their qualifications.

Blizzard, the game company behind World of Warcraft, announced in late October that the number of subscribers to the title had surpassed 11 million players worldwide.

The cult-like fascination with the game has even spawned a World of Warcraft-themed restaurant in China, complete with dishes inspired by the game. Damn gold farmers need a place to kick back I guess.

Some former hardcore gamers have turned their obsessions into full-time jobs. Felicia Day — an actress who has appeared in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “House” and the direct-to-Web sci-fi thriller “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” — has used her gaming addiction to boost her career. Ms. Day, who writes and stars in “The Guild,” a Web series about a group of friends who obsessively play a Warcraft-like game, recently signed a deal with Microsoft to distribute her show across Xbox 360’s Live Marketplace, MSN and Zune.

Still, most of the readers in the F13 comment section shared a similar sentiment: When in doubt about the job compatibility of your gaming alter ego, the best policy might be to stay mum.

As one commenter put it rather bluntly, “It’s like telling them you’re into bondage & sadomasochism or something…once they know they’ll always look at you differently.”