5 game-changing business lessons from classic video games
Updated: 23 hours ago
It can sometimes feel like the world is permanently stuck on hard mode.
Economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, supply-chain pressures, and rapid advances in technology are forcing businesses to adapt faster than ever. And the video game industry is no exception.
Gaming is undergoing its own transformation. Physical media is slowly disappearing, with Sony announcing that it will stop producing physical game discs for new PlayStation releases from January 2028.
Meanwhile, the major console manufacturers are rethinking their strategies as digital distribution, subscriptions, cloud gaming and changing player expectations reshape the industry.
It is a long way from the days when you could walk into a shop, hand over your pocket money, and leave with a cartridge or disc that contained the entire game.
So perhaps now is a good time to look back at a simpler era: the 1980s and 1990s.
Before games had enormous open worlds, online updates, and day-one patches, they often had one thing in common: simple rules that were surprisingly difficult to master.
Yet, once you had, you were ready to take the world by storm.
And those rules can teach us a thing or two about business.
1. Frogger: Sometimes you have to take risks if you want to succeed
The premise of Frogger is wonderfully simple.
Get a frog across a busy road and river without being flattened, swept away, or otherwise meeting an unfortunate amphibious end.
The trick is knowing when to move. Businesses face the same dilemma.
Opportunities rarely arrive with a convenient green light and a sign saying, "Now is the perfect time to invest."
There will always be risks, whether it involves:
A new product not working
Expansion into a new market failing
Cashflow pressures leading you to fall behind on essential payments
Committing to a new hire, where they will be granted key responsibilities.
Standing still, however, carries its own risks.
The lesson from Frogger isn't "take every risk."
It’s assess the risk, look for the opportunity, and move when the conditions are right.
Don’t blindly run into traffic, if you don’t want your business hitting “Game Over”. Instead, look to gather information, consider the potential outcomes, and make calculated decisions.
Remember though: sometimes the biggest risk is waiting too long.
2. Pac-Man: Keep moving, but know what goals you're chasing
Pac-Man has spent more than four decades doing essentially the same thing: moving through a maze, eating everything in sight, while trying to avoid ghosts.
There is a useful business lesson hiding in there.
Growth is important, but chasing growth for its own sake can lead you into trouble.
It is easy for a business to become obsessed with the next customer, the next sale, or the next big opportunity. Yet, if you are constantly chasing everything, you can lose sight of what actually matters.
Pac-Man works because the objective is clear. Collect the dots. Find the power-ups. Avoid the ghosts. Keep moving.
Businesses need similarly clear priorities.
What are you trying to achieve over the next 12 months? More customers? Better margins? A larger team? A new premises? Improved cash flow? Expansion into a new market?
Once you know where you are going, it becomes much easier to decide which opportunities are worth pursuing and which are simply distractions.
And there is another lesson here: sometimes you need to change direction.
Pac-Man doesn't spend the entire game running in a straight line. He turns corners, changes direction, and takes advantage of opportunities when they appear.
Businesses should be prepared to do the same.
At First Enterprise, we have a simple mantra of our own. Start. Grow. Repeat.
Start your business, get on the right track, grow when you’re ready, then start the next stage of your long-term journey.
3. Tetris: Make the pieces fit
Few games demonstrate the importance of organisation quite like Tetris.
One block arrives. Then another. Then another.
Your job is to work out where everything fits before the screen becomes a chaotic tower of poorly considered decisions. Sound familiar?
Running a business can sometimes feel like playing Tetris with money, people, customers, stock, deadlines, and competing priorities.
The important lesson is that small decisions have consequences.
A poorly planned purchase can create a cashflow problem later. Taking on too much debt can restrict future options. Hiring too quickly can increase costs before revenue catches up. Ignoring an operational problem because you are too busy dealing with something else can allow it to become much bigger.
The best Tetris players think ahead. They don't just think, "Where does this piece go?" Instead, they focus on: "Where will the next few pieces go?"
That is exactly what good financial planning involves.
Cashflow forecasting, budgeting, and reviewing your borrowing aren't glamorous activities. But they can give you a much clearer picture of what is coming next.
Because in business, just like in Tetris, eventually the pieces have to fit.
4. Super Mario: Progress doesn't mean never falling down
Mario Mario (that’s not a typo, that’s his actual name) has fallen down a lot of holes.
He has been hit by turtle shells, attacked by plants, burned by fireballs, and generally subjected to an extraordinary amount of workplace danger. Yet he keeps going.
There is a powerful lesson here for business owners: failure is not necessarily the opposite of progress.
Businesses rarely grow in a perfectly straight line. A new product might flop. A marketing campaign might fail to generate the expected results. A potential customer might say no. An expansion might take longer than planned.
What matters is what you do next. Take a step back. Reboot. Tackle things once again.
The original Super Mario games even built progress into the design. You learn the environment, discover what works, recognise hazards, and gradually become better at navigating them.
Businesses can work the same way.
Every setback provides information. Every difficult customer interaction can reveal something about your service. Every unsuccessful campaign can teach you more about your audience. Every financial challenge can highlight areas where the business needs to become more resilient.
The goal isn't to avoid every mistake.
It is to learn from them quickly enough that you don't make the same one twice.
And occasionally, you might need a little help getting past the next level.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Don't be afraid to explore
Our final lesson comes from The Legend of Zelda.
Unlike many early games, Zelda gave players a world to explore. You had to investigate, experiment, find hidden paths, solve problems, and gradually discover what was possible.
That makes it a particularly good analogy for entrepreneurship. After all, there is no universal business map.
What works for one company may not work for another. A strategy that transformed one business might be completely wrong for yours. And sometimes the most valuable opportunities aren't immediately obvious.
Exploration matters.
That could mean testing a new marketing channel, talking to customers about what they actually need, investigating new technology, exploring different funding options, or considering a market you hadn't previously thought about.
The key is to remain curious.
The businesses that thrive in uncertain environments aren't necessarily those with all the answers. They are often the ones willing to ask better questions, such as:
What could we do differently?
Where is the opportunity?
What problem could we solve?
What happens if we try?
It can be like unlocking your own set of cheat codes for tackling challenges; potentially giving your business a valuable leg-up on the competition.
So, consider taking a leaf out of Link’s book, venturing into an unfamiliar part of Hyrule, and embrace leaving the familiar path to discover what comes next.
Let’s press start on your next level; we’re here to be your player two and help you along the way
The gaming industry has changed enormously since the days of cartridges, arcades, and blowing into a Nintendo cartridge in the hope that it would magically work.
Business has changed too. Yet, some principles remain remarkably consistent.
Take calculated risks. Know what you’re chasing. Plan ahead. Learn from setbacks. Stay curious.
Whether you are running a business from your spare room or managing a growing company with a team behind you, the challenges can sometimes feel like a you’re playing a game on legendary difficulty.
The good news is that you don't have to complete the whole game in one go…or play it alone.
Our team of advisors are here to support you and explore whether funding could be the step needed to take your business to the next level. To get in touch, simply complete the form below or give us a call at 0345 602 7355.
Mario had Luigi, Sonic had Tails, so, when you’re ready to click start, know we’re here by your side, step-by-step, level-by-level, until the victory music plays and credits roll (whatever that might be).
Please note:
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.
Please do not act based on anything you might read in this article.
We always recommend that you seek direct financial advice from a relevant expert or professional before making any financial decisions.
First Enterprise is a not-for-profit, FCA-regulated finance provider offering unsecured loans from £500 to £250,000 for start-ups and growing businesses across the UK.
We support businesses that struggle to access mainstream finance, with a focus on underrepresented groups. Funding is delivered through government-backed national and regional programmes.
We offer human-made lending decisions, a dedicated advisor for every applicant, and no penalties for early repayment.
