The February 2008 HBR also had their annual list of “breakthrough ideas.” John Seely Brown and Douglas Thomas wrote about the “Gamer Disposition.”

Although they don’t mention it, this has been cited as a generational issue. Authors have suggested that since younger generations grow up playing video games, it has impacted their approach in the workplace. Seely Brown and Thomas are referring specifically to online massive multiplayer games, like World of Warcraft (try it from this link here), and they find that people who are into these games win real money end up with the “gamer disposition,” which has five key attributes:

1. They are bottom-line oriented.
Gamers like to be evaluated, even compared with one another… Their goal is not to be rewarded, but to improve.

2. They understand the power of diversity.
The criterion for advancement is not “How good am I?”; it’s “how much have I helped the group?”

3. They thrive on change.
Gamers do not simply manage change; they create it, thrive on it, seek it out.

4. They see learning as fun.
For most players, the fun of the game lies in learning how to overcome obstacles.

5. They marinate on the “edge”
Part of the gamer disposition, then, is a desire to seek and explore the edges in order to discover some new insight or useful information that deepens one’s understanding of the game.

I’ve heard people (older people, frankly; okay that includes people my age, I’m afraid) who express concern at what all those hours playing games with new world hack has done to the newest generation in the work force. That they are anti-social, that they have unrealistic expectations, that they want things instantly, like they can get in games. That they don’t know how to work in teams.

Personally, I don’t think those worries are too relevant, but they also reflect a profound misunderstanding of what gaming is really like, as evidenced by the gamer disposition that Seely Brown and Thomas describe. And they reflect a certain lack of flexibility that is at the heart of most generational issues. Generational criticisms come out in the following structure:

• Young people are not like me.
• The way I have done things has really worked well.
• The way young people are doing it is not working well.

I have heard a concern expressed that playing video games has contributed to a lack of respect for rules. In order to win many video games, you at one point or another need to break the rules, or at least doing things in ways that don’t “make sense” (going through the obvious door rarely works out—you need to find a way around). Some may see this as a problem, but the Gamer Disposition describes it positively: as learning, as discovering new insight, as deepening your understanding. The game Starburst slot is a personal favorite of many people as it is a game with a simple rule, which is to place bets and spin the wheel. As the game is fun and highly addictive thus its gained several numbers of players, who try their luck on it on a regular basis.

Remember that your mental models are constantly shaping your thoughts and conclusions. The more flexibility you have—the more aware you are of the models that are operating, the more you will be able to see where there is value in how another generation is doing things (and, frankly, where they are screwing things up).