Building Better Teams, One Boss Battle at a Time

anniebarch
May 30
3 min read

When it comes to gaming, I’m a late bloomer. I was always curious about video games but never beat my brother in the battle for the controller.

Once I really got into gaming, I was hooked. Not just because of the escape it offered, but because I fell in love with learning the systems, uncovering the story, and even discovering a little something about myself along the way.

I was playing Split Fiction with my husband a couple of weeks ago.

We were stuck in a puzzle sequence that required tight coordination: one of us had to flip a lever while the other leapt across a series of moving platforms. Unfortunately, I was the one doing the jumping. Let’s just say…platforming is not my strong suit.

We kept missing the timing. The vibes quickly shifted from laughing at our failures to what felt like a high-stakes creative review where no one was listening.

Eventually, we figured it out, not just the puzzle, but each other. We adjusted how we communicated. We found the rhythm. We stopped trying to solve things alone and started solving them together.

It felt a lot like leading a creative team.

What Games Actually Teach Us

When I tell people I play video games, they usually assume it’s how I unwind after a long week. And yeah, sometimes getting into a warthog to own some noobs is cathertic, but there’s something deeper happening.

Games train the same muscles I rely on every day as a creative leader. They reward curiosity, build resilience and they force you to navigate ambiguity and friction with limited resources and shifting tools.

In Breath of the Wild (the GOAT), you can approach every problem a dozen different ways. There’s no single correct solution, only the one that fits the moment. That’s not just good game design. That’s good leadership.

In Pikmin, you guide a swarm of tiny, color-coded creatures through a hostile world, directing them to solve tasks based on their unique abilities. None of them can do everything alone, but together, they move mountains, or at least, build bridges and recover spaceship parts. You spend most of the game observing, adapting, and learning how to work with what you’ve got.

It’s a masterclass in delegation, patience, and the quiet art of recognizing potential in every team member.

In Animal Crossing, there’s no clear goal and no real finish line. Progress is slow, nonlinear, and deeply personal. You build trust with your neighbors. You shape your island over time. Leadership in that world isn’t about urgency—it’s about presence. It requires knowing the difference between when your villagers need attention and when it’s the perfect moment to just stop and fish.

The Tie That Binds

That moment in Split Fiction, where my husband and I fumbled through frustration, reflected how easy it is to assume instead of ask. Too often, we lead without listening and focus on perfection over impact.

And that’s why gaming reminds me that leadership isn’t just about getting to the next level. It’s about learning to make quick decisions and move with people gently, intentionally and sometimes one tiny step at a time.

Some days, it looks like guiding a group of hesitant Pikmin across unfamiliar terrain. Other days, it’s showing up on your island just to check in, say hi, and remind your team you're still building something—even if it’s not finished yet.

I look at the many hours I’ve clocked on my Switch (and other systems) as practice. Sometimes, I game to escape, but I’m always reminded that the best kind of leadership isn’t loud—it’s steady, curious, and maybe a little scrappy.