Trading and gaming seem like two separate worlds, but gamers make good traders because their experience gives them skills that help when trading stocks
If you are not into video games, it's easy to dismiss the hobby as nothing more than just a "game". After all, it's basically just sitting in front of the TV for hours on end to kill monsters, complete missions, or defeat rival teams.
However, that couldn't be farther from the truth, and if you're a gamer, you can attest to this with the skills that video games helped bring out.
Getting by with no sleep? Check. Using insane reflexes to survive? Got it. Dealing with constant pressure to win or even just to survive? Every time.
Our case in point is that gamers can make good traders exactly because of the time and effort they spend playing whatever video games they fancy.
Along the way, they pick up techniques as they fight to win a prize, accomplish a mission, or even simply as they try to stay alive for the next level.
In fact, some games today even capitalize on the different kinds of gamers, such as those who are not into senseless slaughters or crazy melees to earn in-game money.
With that in mind, one game worth pointing out is Grand Theft Auto 5, which has two stock markets, the LCN and the BAWSAQ, that operate just like real-world exchanges.
Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, let's first tackle the reasons that give gamers an edge when taking on the world of trading.
What Makes Gamers Good Traders
Of course, a seemingly sweeping statement like this deserves an explanation. We are not saying this applies to every gamer on the planet, but there are a lot of things in the gaming world that prove to be invaluable to a trader and his craft. Here are some of them.
Insane Reflex and the Kill or Get Killed Mentality
It's a dog eat dog world out there, and if you're a gamer, you understand this concept on a level that you appreciate the preparation and the gearing up to make sure that you're well-equipped to succeed. Why? Because if you don't, you'll lose, and what gamer likes that?
In trading, you also have to be well-equipped. In fact, it's non-negotiable that you have to do your research and understand what you're getting into before you take a step further.
Otherwise, you run the risk of being suck and stuck in a position that would be hard to get out of.
Those fine prints warning you about trading risks are there for a reason. This is simply because trading involves real money, and with real money comes great risks and even greater losses if you're not careful.
These trading risks are even more pronounced in the cryptocurrency market, where it is open 24/7 and highly volatile; hence the insane reflex of a gamer to take advantage of an opportunity or to minimize his loss can come in handy.
If you want to check out a trading platform, make sure that they also have the necessary licenses like 1Market.
Winning Is Not Written in Stone
Sometimes you win, and sometimes you don't, no matter how well-equipped you are. That's a hard lesson that gamers know very well.
In trading, it's the same. Learning and understanding the market and what you're getting into can significantly reduce the risks that come with trading, but risks will always be there.
Whether luck or something else plays a role, risks are not something you can get rid of entirely, and if you're a gamer who trade, you know the best way to handle this is to put your best foot forward and move forward if things don't go according to plan - you don't dwell on the past but you definitely take the lessons with you.
Practice Is More than Half of the Battle
Unless you're a genius who could go god-like level with minimal efforts, chances are, practice is your best friend and your best strategy to get better - whether in gaming or in trading.
For gamers, you know that practice is indispensable, and when you trade, you know that practice is one of the most effective ways to learn.
Hence, if you're a gamer who trades, you grab every opportunity to practice what you got and see which area you still need to work on.
Take a Break When You Have To
Another lesson that gamers know very well is that sometimes, things are just not on your side, no matter how good you're playing.
Whether it's a sign from the universe or simply your subconscious telling you to take a break, it happens. While some players choose to ignore this, you're not doing yourself any favour if you do that.
Take a break, take a walk, and take a breath - in gaming, you can't win it all, and in trading, not all trades turn out how we hoped they would.
Grand Theft Auto 5 and the Play-to-Earn Niche
Even before the pandemic, companies are already seeing the potential of gamers who wants to play both for leisure and to earn - whether that's real cash in play-to-earn games or in-game money like in the stock markets of GTA 5.
In fact, GTA 5 gives players the opportunity to experience what trading is like in the real world with its two in-game stock markets - the LCN, where stocks are directly influenced by what the player does in single-player story mode, and the BAWSAQ, where stocks are influenced by the GTA 5 online community.
With video games in general and games like GTA 5, to be more specific, it's not a stretch to say gamers will make good or even better traders because of the skills that they developed and the technicality that they are exposed to while playing.
In today's generation that grows up playing video
games like GTA 5, nothing's stopping them from being really good traders in the
future.