Tropicana Magazine Jul-Aug 2017 #114: Bold & Beautiful
Tropicana Magazine July - August 2017 [Gaming The System - Ricky Tjandra]
Tropicana Magazine July - August 2017
[Gaming The System - Ricky Tjandra]
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RICKY TJANDRA<br />
“The tenets of managing a business are similar to that<br />
of gaming,” explains Ricky, who graduated in Business<br />
Management from RMIT University in Melbourne. “In<br />
some subconscious manner, I have been honing skills in key<br />
management areas and have been able to apply them to my<br />
business.”<br />
It’s the ‘I-don’t-want-to-lose’ attitude that drives gamers<br />
like Ricky to succeed, and in a competitive and fast-moving<br />
market, it’s imperative to deploy the right skill set and make<br />
your mark.<br />
“Negotiation skills are crucial,” he shares. “In gaming, there<br />
is usually a trading system where you can trade items, sell or<br />
even buy them. You learn about the value of the items from<br />
the point of supply and demand, as well as how desperate the<br />
other player is. If all goes your way, you can sell at a higher<br />
price than what’s out there in the market. You can even<br />
negotiate peace terms with other guilds or clans during a war.<br />
It’s a good platform to understand the diversity of players<br />
from different races, geographical locations, ages and genders.<br />
Likewise, on the business platform, managing a diverse group<br />
of employees or dealing with a diverse set of clientele, calls for<br />
different negotiation skills.”<br />
“Communications is key when managing a guild or<br />
kingdom during wars,” Ricky explains. “Having to coordinate<br />
between 100 members is difficult. It would involve<br />
strategising different groups, in smaller numbers to target<br />
certain locations and to achieve the results you want. Giving<br />
correct instructions and relaying it effectively and efficiently<br />
will help the kingdom or guild achieve success. There are<br />
also real time reports and updates on the status of the guild.<br />
This is another trait similar to the corporate world, where<br />
proper communications amongst the team, and strategies<br />
which are communicated well can garner success. Market<br />
reports and competitor analysis would also help in strategy<br />
planning, as well as indicating market position to your<br />
clients.”<br />
Another tenet is time management. The process of<br />
planning and having conscious control over how much<br />
time one spends on events or work activities may increase<br />
the level of effectiveness and productivity. “There are a lot<br />
of events inside a game,” divulges Ricky. “These keep you<br />
occupied, thus you would have to prioritise which of these<br />
events would benefit you the most and you would in turn,<br />
focus on that.”<br />
“You would not be able to play a game around the clock as<br />
you would need to factor in rest, work and hobbies amongst<br />
“The tenets of managing<br />
a business are similar to<br />
that of gaming. In some<br />
subconscious manner,<br />
I have been honing skills<br />
in key management areas<br />
and have been able to apply<br />
them to my business.”<br />
other things. You would need to manage your personal time<br />
efficiently in order to join the event. There are also troops<br />
with different skill levels to train. You would need to manage<br />
your time in a manner whereby you maximise efficiency and<br />
utilise the time available. It’s no different from the corporate<br />
world where you would need to plan your time to manage<br />
deadlines with what you can currently work on.”<br />
“Problems do not discriminate. They hit all of us at some<br />
point. Even in games, there is a fair amount of problemsolving<br />
such as disputes between members, resource<br />
management and strategies. To top that off, games usually<br />
have bugs, especially those in its beta stage. I used to be a<br />
beta tester before the official launch of a game. I would test<br />
the games out and report on bugs or issues I encounter and<br />
give recommendations on how to fix those issues, or even<br />
improve the game itself. This is similar to how we would<br />
manage problem-solving in the work place.”<br />
Like any organisation, management styles differ, and in<br />
the virtual world, it is no different. “Different people manage<br />
their guilds or wars differently. They come from different<br />
cultures. They approach and strategise by weighing the pros<br />
and cons of each situation with the person assigned to the<br />
task.”<br />
From the realms of guilds and wars to the corporate world,<br />
Ricky knows too well that all work and no play, a dull boy<br />
makes, and reaping the diverse knowledge and experience<br />
the former brings, makes gaming all the more attractive.<br />
TM | <strong>Jul</strong>y/AUGUST <strong>2017</strong><br />
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