Gaming has come a very long way in the last 30 years. What was once seen as a pastime for children is now a global entertainment industry that is enjoyed by people of all ages and all persuasions. In fact, it completely dwarfs just about every other entertainment sector by a significant margin.
It’s not the embarrassing hobby it was back in the 80s and 90s, it’s about as mainstream as it gets and chances are if you own a business that a fair percentage of your workforce are probably active gamers. Could you perhaps use this to increase their productivity and make them happier at work?
A recent study found that employee happiness increases productivity by 12% and those that are happy are more likely to sell the company convincingly. Could gaming at work be the answer here? There are many reasons why businesses might want to sell their old games consoles and invest in some brand-new consoles for the employee lounge.
Innovative encouragement – Studies have shown that playing games at work encourages innovation and inspiration. This is particularly true of games such as Minecraft that focus so heavily on creativity and logical thinking. It’s perfectly reasonable to think that an employee could have an idea while gaming that directly translates into their working life.
Productivity – Gaming has been proven to reduce stress levels and employees that are less stressed will be more productive. It’s been said that the average employee will only really do about 3 hours worth of ‘real’ work during the day. The rest of the time will be spend gossiping, procrastinating and commuting. Instead of encouraging this wasted time, why not allow employees a couple of hours of gaming time per day to help them relax and recharge?
The work/life balance – The work/life balance is a holy grail for many but it’s something that’s never been more attainable, particularly with so many of us now working from home more due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By encouraging gaming at work, you’re allowing employees to bring more of their actual personalities into work and help work feel less like a prison and more like a holiday camp. Or at least hopefully a middle ground between the two!
Bonding – Finally, perhaps the most obvious benefit of gaming at work is that it will help a team to bond together and work as a team. Consider loading the consoles with games that emphasis co-operative play. Adventure games, puzzle games and dungeon crawling games where players are asked to work together to defeat enemies, surmount impossible odds and solve puzzles. A team that bonds together over a game is more likely to bond together over an account or a project. And maybe they’ll ask you to join in too!