Wanted: A strong tolerance for video games played in the middle of the day
Yahoo! Pipes is hiring. There's a link on the Pipes homepage to the list of positions available. It's pretty neat that they're advertising their positions to their own end users. I guess if you're a pipes fan, then you're at least approaching fulfillment of a couple of the job requirements. Speaking of job requirements... all of the positions listed have a common set of requirements of which one stuck out like a sore thumb:
"A strong tolerance for video games played in the middle of the day (Mario Kart, etc.)"
At first glance, I was WOW'd (I still am, but in a different way). I know that more and more software "shops" are striving to improve the work environment and that video games/consoles are a growing contribution to the cause. I read the requirement again; "A strong tolerance..." I was even more impressed. The requirement is double-edged. Had the Pipes team been purely advertising the coolness of their work environment, I would have expected something else... maybe, "A strong desire to beat your coworkers at Mario Kart" or even "Loves to play video games" (orsomethinglikethat), but they didn't. All positions require "A strong tolerance" of at-work video gaming. Corporate culture and team dynamics are key factors to the productivity and success of a project. Everyone works differently and not everyone tolerates at-work coworker video gaming the same. Not only is the Pipes team advertising their work environment, they are working to preserve it.
Maybe I'm reading into this too much. If I am, then thanks for provoking this thought. If I'm not, then congratulations to the Pipes team for acknowledging and guarding a good thing.
To whomever reads this: Am I off my rocker? What do you think about video gaming at work? Would/does it bother you to be busy working on something while another coworker plays video games? Would you play if your employer had a gaming station setup for your team? Please comment.
My old job had 3 Xbox 360s throughout the building connected to sweet plasma displays. It was interesting because they didn’t get a lot of playing time, but they were always touted as something cool.
I think that people have a tendency to work when they need to work and if they have a place to blow off steam (like an Xbox or whatever), they’ll use it, but I don’t see people taking advantage.
I think that developing a fun corporate culture is a good thing, but I also think that corporations are having their hands forced in a lot of ways because our generation (the new worker bees) are ADHD at our core and we need that constant stimulation and entertainment.
Just think if everyone had a Wii in their office…it could even serve as some physical activity! As for myself, I’d like games that don’t require a lot of time (MarioKart, boxing, etc.), but also have some amount of competition. We used to race cars on the Xboxes at my old job. It was a lot of fun and in some ways it promotes camaraderie between co-workers.
Sorry for the lenghty diatribe.
Pretty insightful observations there - kind of like the “wearing jeans to work” shop, but on a different level.
I’m not sure how I’d feel about an office with open gaming. I mean, there’s only so many times you can blow your coworkers away with your mad l33t mariokarting skillz before everyone refuses to play with you.
Man, I wish I had a dollar for everytime that happened to me.
Interesting… I am split on this subject:
1) if you spend more time there then you do at home, why not make it feel like home.
2) but what if you want to spend only enough time there to get your work done and then go home?
It seems counter productive to me this describes a work environment that is going to become your life… which is great, if that is what you are looking for. But could really frustrate someone who isn’t.
I do agree with you Luke, I think they are both advertising and preserving the work environment they want to keep. I can appreciate that and even though I may want to play the games; I work to live, not live to work.
I work in a pretty laid-back and creative environment. It’s also a very open office, meaning we’ve given up cubicles in favor of a spacious room with couches, televisions, a conference table and everyone’s workstations around the perimeter. And we do play videogames here, but we currently (and, I feel, wisely) limit it to Fridays.
Don’t get me wrong; I love videogames. More than anyone I know. Probably too much. But I also enjoy being productive at work and I know how hard it is for me to focus on a project when a fierce round of Wii Sports tennis or Guitar Hero II is going on next to me.
Ultimately, I think gaming at work (like so many other things in life) should be done in moderation. If the Pipes team has a scheduled period during which everyone can unwind with a few rounds of Mario Kart, more power to them. It can be a great release and a way to recharge one’s creative batteries. We actually have people breaking a sweat on Wii days, which is a good thing for people who spend all of our daylight hours indoors in front of computers.
From Chance’s comment: “…what if you want to spend only enough time there to get your work done and then go home?”
And there’s the problem. At tech companies, there’s often an unspoken pressure to stick around pretty late.
I used to be a developer at one of the big video game companies. Most people were in the office eleven (or more) hours per day, but spent two or three of those hours goofing around.
On the flip side, a few people came in at 9:00 and left promptly at 6:00. (eight hours, with an hour for lunch)
Everybody wound up getting the same eight hours of work done, but those who left “early” were not viewed favorably by coworkers–nor reviewed favorably by management.
Once I realized I wanted to stop being one of the game-playing, stay ’til 9/10/11pm crew, I left. It’s an okay atmosphere if you’re a single guy (or woman, though it’s usually guys) who defines himself by his job and wants to hang out with other like-minded people. But I’d rather work until 5 or 6, and then play games on my own time, with my own friends.
At the office I’m working in, right now actually, the guys play games. Sporadically throughout the day its not uncommon to hear cheers and/or trash talk — but not to an excess.
I’m not a gamer (these doods would kick my ass) but I don’t mind it all. I grew up playing vids.
It can be distracting but thats what headphones are for. I think cultures that encourage casual behavior create a more comfortable family like atmosphere. People that are comfortable work better, together.
Where I work, me and the rest of the development team play halo or battlefield for an hour after lunch and sometimes at the end of the day. It’s great for team bonding and relieving work stress. The key is knowing when to switch out of gaming mode.