I'm sorry, are we going to dismiss other studies related to this since the aformentioned article doesn't cover it? That isn't how a comprehensive view of this works. And by ignoring other research, doesn't negate my point and doesn't enhance yours either. We have a problem, I decide to do a little research behind it and work out how the studies relate to each other as well as apply to real life skills as well as career skills. You? Decide to ignore it. Yes, it is ironic.

Regarding the Wall Street Journal/UoR research, most occupations don't rely on split-second decisions.

True, most occupations do not rely on split second decisions. But do you know what the benefit of being able to process at a quicker speed? It allows you to assess a situation more quickly, think of solutions more quickly, and weigh pros and cons more quickly, whether it be a long-term or short-term problem. On top of other studies showing that action video games help with cognitive flexibility, or the ability to think about multiple concepts simultaneously. And that is what you do not understand. This is all related. Between the sensory, attention, and decision making capabilities, you are presented with constant questions that you are being trained to answer effeciently and accurately. It is not just coming up with split second decisions, it is training your brain to work through a processes that you would work through with any problem at a high rate of speed.

Do I have any hard data to back this up? Nah. But that's why I didn't make an absolute assertion; I simply stated where I would put my money. Investing is always a gamble.

The way you stated it made no progress whatsoever to prove your point other than reveal your preconceptions about people you do not know based on stereotypes. You are comparing apples to oranges by removing experience altogether from one party. Like saying "Who would I want doing my surgery? A surgeon or my neighbor?" That's an easy decision, right? One is a surgeon the other one is just a guy that lives down the street. That's where I'd put my money. Except that conclusion was based off misinformation. If you are going to compare something, you have to isolate the variables by holding everything else equal. For example, a surgeon that graduated from community college vs a surgeon that graduated from Harvard Med. (The bold is what is held constant and the italics are what I'm actually comparing. Since it's obvious you need a lesson on hypothetical comparison.)

By leaving the bit out about having the same experience, you are implying that video gamers have absolutely no other skill sets other than gaming. It's shocking, but a lot of avid gamers actually do have jobs and actually do go to school to get actual degrees to actually work.

And I had mentioned it in my first comment that you seemed to decide not to at all address since I said and I quote

But it depends on the person and what other areas they are strong in.

Obviously (or at least what I thought was supposed to be obvious, but I'm sitting here explaining reading comprehension) a person that has absolutely no interest, or background, or training when it comes to business will not have the capabilities to go into business. The same way any person that doesn't study care about or study literature won't be applying as an english teacher. The skills and abilities that are developed better in gamers than in non-gamers can and are used in the work place.

If you suggest that hours and hours of gaming hone your social skills more than hours and hours of almost any conventionally social activity, I'm going to think you're full of it. Also, the "interactions with fans and sponsors" are separate activities, and should not be lumped in with the actual gaming.

I am not at all suggesting that hours of hours of gaming hone your social skills. Social skills are a product of your personality, and not a product of how much time you spend outside. There are avid gamers that have more social skills than some people that have never played a game in their life and there are people that have more social skills than avid gamers. The amount of time socializing is not equal to how well someone socializes. Just because a person may spend hours and hours on a game doesn't mean the moment they need to start a conversation or convey an idea that they are automatically "off-putting when they present them" or whatever ill-conceived, biased, stereotypical notion that you equate avid gamers to.

There are quite a lot of studies that link what was stated in this article to learning and problem solving and the effects it has on careers, though it is not explicitly stated in this article. But I live in the real world, and here in the real world when we are trying to prove an overwhelmingly valid point, we do research on more than just one article and don't pull our facts from the Journal of Shit I Just Pulled Out of my Ass. Take notes.