I am so excited about this that I had to find the time in this week’s busy schedule to put it in writing. In one of my earlier posts (September 18, 2012), a new era unfolds, I wrote this:

“My middle son is a soccer fan and so am I. We both play soccer and follow the Dutch competition. My youngest son doesn’t play soccer and is less interested in the real thing, but he plays FIFA 2012 intensely. He adores the management part of the game, in which you can trade players. He knows exactly which player would be the best fit for a certain position. This knowledge can even be used in the real world. He knows more about the subject then I do.”

Last week something extraordinary caught my eye. A post about a 21 year old man that played the game Football Manager for over 10 years. By doing so he learned so much that it give him a huge advantage over others when he applied for a job as a soccer manager in real life. Quote from Elaine Burke a journalist for Siliconrepublic.com:

“Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet reports that Vugar Huseynzade beat off competition from others with real-world management experience, notably Jean-Pierre Papin a former professional footballer who has managed a number of teams in France. Papin is still expected to be offered a higher position at the club. While Huseynzad made contacts in Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan during his time with SBN, his only experience with managing a football team is based in virtual reality. I always wanted to work in football and have played Football Manager since 2002, Huseynzade told the Scandinavian newspaper. Huseynzade’s gaming experience has given him confidence, it seems, and he says he wants to help bring the team to the Europa League.”

Am I so excited because I think my son now has a good chance to become a professional soccer manager? Would be nice, but no that’s not it. For me this is a milestone, one of many things that will happen and teaches us that “learn by play” is the way to go.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Vugar Huseynzade used this new gamification tool from Adidas in the video below to gain information about his players? That would complete the circle.