We’ve all had a lot more free time recently. Many people took up a new hobby, made home improvements or started a new fitness program. However, if you’re an avid gamer it’s highly likely you pushed all that to the side. Instead, choosing to spend hours wracking up XP, improving your rank or finally delving into a neglected Steam library.
You might be feeling pretty great about your achievements or slightly guilty that you didn’t spend the time updating your CV, learning a new language or brushing up on your coding knowledge. Fear not because all that time spent gaming might just make you more desirable to future employers.
Overclockers UK has teamed up with Game Academy so you can WIN some great prizes and get started on your career path.
What is Game Academy?
Game Academy is a new online careers programme that wants to help gamers sharpen their skills for the job market by playing the games they love. It might sound too good to be true but the online program is supported by the UK Department for Education, Nesta (CareerTech Challenge), and the Ufi VocTech Seed programme 2020.
Game Academy was created by a group of gamers who also have careers in data science, teaching and HR. Through research and their own experiences, they believe gamers possess skills that are ideal for the expanding digital workplace. A number of employers, academics and organisations also share the same view. Big names such as IBM and the RAF, want to hire those with a talent for specific roles learnt from gaming.
The Game Academy program is powered by cutting-edge technology and scientific research. Game Academy called on the knowledge of gamers, educationists, data scientists, careers advisors & social entrepreneurs. The team has researched over 50,000 gamers so far and analysed their different traits and gaming habits. This data helps to connect desirable traits developed while gaming with possible career paths. Below are some examples:
- X-Com and Football Manager with management roles
- EVE Online with IT Skills
- Stardew Valley with creativity and design
Game Academy allows users to share their gaming profile and Game Academy reports which highlight their likely personality traits and skills
that might benefit a future employer. Game Academy is open to everyone but should benefit dedicated gamers aged over 20 without a university degree the most.
How Game Academy Works
Game Academy has a series of campaigns and quests designed to help sharpen useful career skills and it is totally free to join and use. Game academy uses a freemium model, with options to pay extra in order to get access to more features. There are no sneaky subscriptions or hidden costs which means you can try out and use Game Academy without spending anything.
It’s very simple to join Game Academy and here ‘s how to get started:
- Share your gaming profile with Game Academy(Steam, PSN, Xbox Live). You can register HERE.
- The software analyses your gaming behaviour & reports on your skills
- Start playing your favourite games & complete challenges to sharpen those skills for your future career.
- Game Academy recommends jobs & educational opportunities that suit your skillset. This can be roles like a chef, programmer, pilot, artist or hotel manager.
“Gamers are super talented and the games they play hone their skills. This is the focus of Game Academy. It’s a chance to find out more about your game skills, realise talent you may not even know you had, and help you find that next job. All while doing what you love, and meeting some new friends like you along the way.”
David Barrie, co-founder of Game Academy
Game Academy’s online programme of “quests”, is designed to supercharge your career. If you decide to join you’ll spend time doing exercises. chatting with the community and actually playing games! In 2021, Game Academy is planning to partner formally with employers and develop educational
credentials. To date, over 1000 people have participated in the Game Academy programme and over 500 are members of its community on Discord.
What awesome prizes are Overclockers UK and Game Academy giving away?
Overclockers UK has teamed up with noblechairs and Game Academy to give you the chance of winning an epic upgrade to your professional career. This includes a new noblechairs Hero, a personalised Game Power report that will assess your employability skills based on your in-game achievements, a selection of five expansion packs for Game Academy service plus free access to a forthcoming Game Academy Bootcamp!
It’s very easy to enter simply go to the dedicated webpage on the Overclockers website and follow the instructions on Gleam.
1st prize gets you:
- A noblechairs HERO Black edition with unique breathable upholstery, adjustable lumbar support and premium aesthetic. Normally £419!
- A personalised ‘Game Power’ report from Game Academy.
- Free access to the Game Academy base course.
3 runners up get access to:
- Three expansion packs for the Game Academy service to help you prepare for interviews, improve your CV and more.
- Free access to the Game Academy Base Course.
- Overclockers UK mousemat Megamat XXL with a premium finish black cloth surface.
- 5 min read
Briony Hannam
Author
Briony has been with Overclockers UK for nearly three years, starting off as a content copywriter before moving into producing videos and photos for various social media platforms. Outside of shooting and editing, she can be found racing in Forza, CTR, or even Donington circuit. Calmer endeavors include tending her jungle of houseplants & fishtanks before curling up under a blanket and watching back-to-back episodes of the latest Sci-Fi release.
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