BUCHAREST, ROMANIA — Creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi + The Geeks, in partnership with full service communication agency Good Game Industry, have launched the Score2Skill project for the client eJobs.ro, aiming to leverage user skills learned from video games. The algorithm transforms skills from virtual games into skills needed for a real-life job.
The concept of the project is based on the assumption that the skills developed by video game users over hours, days, or even years of experience could reveal key information about their profession or job profile. What if every minute spent in strategy video games, shooters, or football simulators was actually a pre-qualification for a gamer’s future career?
Laura Belc, Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi + The Geeks, commented, “An interesting project, to say the least. In fact, 14 months of enthusiasm, passion, dozens of spreadsheets of data, and people making something that seemed un-doable happen, a unique algorithm through which eJobs is going to validate hundreds of thousands of gamers. In early 2023, we set out to show that everything you do in games matters in your future career and that your best scores can prove your skills off-screen, too. Easier said than done. Especially when you want it to be as real as possible. Fortunately, the rigour of thought that the research and HR specialists brought to the table was the distinguishing factor between an “made-up” design and an algorithm that transforms two sets of data (gaming and professional skills) to reveal things to players that they didn’t know about themselves. At this point, eJobs can give gamers insight into their future careers just by analyzing data from games, data that any gamer is proud to offer.”
Score2Skill is a unique project in Romania and is one of seven global innovation initiatives that made it to the finals of RingierX, the business accelerator of the Swiss Ringier Group.
eJobs, the leader in the Romanian recruitment market, set out to prove to the public that this scenario is possible by developing the first algorithm that analyses and calculates the results and behaviors of the top five most popular video games of the moment and translates them into skills and personality traits relevant to the workplace.
“I think this is a fantastic achievement for gamers of all ages, not just GenZ, the core target audience of the project. Payback time has finally come because, lo and behold, we’ve managed to show not only that it’s not a waste of time to play games, but that it’s actually useful and can get you closer to your first job. Leaving aside the innovation of the design and the complexity of the algorithm behind it, the most valuable thing for the end user is that we are witnessing the demolition of a stigma that has been hanging around gamers’ necks for free all this time. It’s not us saying it, it’s not some funny social media quiz saying it, it’s a scientifically validated algorithm saying it: it really is okay to play, don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. It can even help you earn your first paycheck,” added Raluca Dumitra, CMO of eJobs.
The creation of such an algorithm and the creative use of data extracted from video games contributed to a large-scale exploratory process carried out in collaboration with researchers, statisticians, HR advisors, and hundreds of professional and dedicated gamers.
“I really enjoyed working on this project. I have long wanted to contribute to demolishing a myth, however small, about gaming and gamers. In this case, the myth is that gaming is (just) a waste of time. The reality that we have discovered through a very elaborate research process is that gaming is not just entertainment. It is also a form of investment in skill sets/competencies that are increasingly relevant to the digital world we live in,” said Dan Petre, Research Specialist, D&D Research.
The algorithm was developed with gamers and Good Game Industry, ensuring data accuracy and relevance to the Romanian video gamer community.
“Score2Skill is the perfect combination of out-of-the-box thinking, in-depth research, and key insights from the gaming world. It is one of the projects our agency has invested the most time in, and we want both employers and the gaming community in Romania to benefit from the results of the initiative,” shared Marius Radu, Co-founder of Good Game Industry.
CREDITS:
eJobs.ro:
Raluca Dumitra – CMO
Iulia Văcăroiu – Brand Manager
Mircea Iancu – Chief Product Officer
Saatchi & Saatchi + The Geeks:
Laura Belc – Creative Director
Ioana Mușat – Managing Director
Elena Cârcu – Copywriter
Miruna Anton – Art Director
Ana Neamțu – Jr. Art Director
Alexa Dumitrana – Art Director
Tiberiu Nenciu – Art Director
Răzvan Bucur – Jr. Planner
Ciprian David – Sr. Account Manager
Paul Foltache – Developer
Alex Calin – Producator
Marius Radu – Co-Founder Good Game Industry
Dan Petre – Partner D&D Research
Angela Rosu – Talent Acquisition Specialist & HR Consultant
