What is leadership and how is it displayed? It is said that leadership can take on many forms and while I agree with that statement, it begs the question: How does one quantify it? If asked whether or not one has what it takes to be a great leader, how would one respond? And what evidence would one use to exemplify it? As society’s next generation of leaders, we are called upon to answer these questions. My experiences as a Resident Assistant, and leader of a student organization, have led me to my own answer to these questions. While it is true that there are many ways to display leadership, leadership is not solely quantified by how it has impacted you, but by how it has impacted the community. Leadership is not about a title, but rather the impact and influence one has in the community. Thus, one of the best examples of leadership within a community can be found in team based role-playing games. Games such as Dungeons and Dragons, League of Legends, and Smite, all require their players to form a team with unique roles in pursuit of a common objective. Just as leadership is defined by one’s impact on the community, so too is a player’s leadership in their impact on the team. In an effort to assist thirteen individuals with discovering their own form of leadership in games, I have created a BuzzFeed Quiz which pairs the players with their ideal role in team-based games.

While there are various roles a player can take on a team, the quiz focuses on the four core roles. The Tank, the strong-hearted defender of the team. The Support, the tactical backbone of the team. The Aggressor, the strong-willed sword of the team. And the Ranged Fighter, the sharp-eyed spear of the team. Each of these roles are significantly important. The Aggressor and Tank are the team’s sword and shield. Their duty as the vanguard is to lead the team down the path that advances their goal. The Support and Ranged Fighter, on the other hand, act as the team’s eyes and ears. Observant and strategic, their duty as the rearguard is to support and lead the team towards the correct path.

Of the thirteen individuals that were surveyed, almost half of them were given the Support role, and all participants agreed with their designation. As leaders, this could suggest that these six individuals utilize a leadership style that focuses on supporting others. Moreover, it suggests that these individuals may be empathetic and possess the ability to accurately understand what others need. Interestingly, five of these six individuals have career aspirations that involve a service for others such as, psychologist, doctor and attorney. The second most popular role was the Ranged Fighter. A role whose leadership style suggests a more tactful and indirect approach to achieving an objective. One individual who was given the Aggressor role said, “I do not know why I got aggressor…probably because I believe Dishonored isn’t a stealth game.” Being given the Aggressor role, suggest that these individuals utilize a leadership style that focuses on pushing towards greater heights. For example, those individuals who were given this designation have career aspirations such as a paper engineer and an entrepreneur. A surprising result of this quiz, however, was that not a single person received the Tank designation.

How do our leadership skills set us apart from our peers? If asked whether or not one has what it takes to be a great leader, how would one respond? And what evidence would one use to exemplify it? Leadership goes beyond a title or an authority figure. Leadership is determined by the impact an individual creates. Accordingly, a community is filled with various styles of leaders. Likewise, each of the four roles have a specific strength that they provide, and if a single one was missing, it would lead to the failure of the team. Fittingly, the BuzzFeed quiz is relevant beyond gaming, as it can assist in determining one’s leadership style in society.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/bluelegend80/what-is-your-cooperative-gaming-role-1p0ibu4oo0