Gamers investing countless hours on MMORPGs may have something to smile about: a study by IBM and Seriosity reveals that online games actually help shape up managers and corporate leaders.

"What we've found is that success as a business leader may depend on skills as a gamer. Smart organizations are recognizing valued employees who play online games and apply their skills and experiences as virtual leaders to their 'real world' jobs," said Jim Spohrer, Director of Services Research, IBM Research Center in Almaden, Calif.

Online games and the future of work are found to have various similarities in terms of required skills and challenges tackled. According to the report: today's gamers are learning collaboration, self-organization, risk-taking, openness, influence, and how to earn incentives linked to performance and be flexible in the way they communicate.

Here are the features of game environments that businesses should adopt:

• Incentive structures that motivate workers immediately and longer term
• Virtual economies that create a marketplace for information and collaboration
• Transparency of performance and capabilities
• Recognition for achievements
• Visibility into networks of communication across an organization