Online games can be challenging in an office setting. There are employees who would take longer than usual break time, or even visit the pantry often just to play their favorite games. It might be a pain in the ass but there are ways how online games like Mobile Legends, Arena of Valor, Ragnarok and others can help improve work performance.
Viewing Video Games Positively
Some of your bosses might not even know Mobile Legends? They do not know what it feels like to be defeated several times after being paired with noob teammates and this is the hardest part. Managers who do not know online games will be very hard to convince that there is a way to make this work positively.
Playing online games can, in fact, help promote a better culture at the office. In some ways, it can even improve work performance. If you are a manager, try to ask, “why are my employees more interested in playing online games than doing their work?”
Do you know that playing video games directly affects and impacts regions of the brain responsible for memory, spatial orientation, information organizations, and fine motor skills? Yes, it does and this is according to a study conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus in Berlin, Germany. The study also reinforces the claim that, like exercise, playing games for as little as 30 minutes a day, can improve your life.
High-pressure work environments can keep employees engaged for the short term, but over the long term, excitement shifts to stress and disengagement as employees feel less valued and respected. – The Connection Between Happiness And Performance For Millennials
Video Games as a Form of Relaxation
If you visit big companies in the Philippines, especially those who are doing night shift like call centers and BPOs they have gaming stations or gaming rooms. Working graveyard shift without a doubt puts tremendous stress not only on your body but also on your brain. Playing video games move your mind away from the usual stress at work.
Besides being a form of relaxation, cooperative games like Mobile Legends or ROS can promote teamwork within the office. It elicits discussion and interaction among employees of their in-game exploits. It is a topic where even the shyest employee can relate too unless he/she is not playing any game that is.
As an Employer How Do You Use Video Games to Improve Work Performance?
The technique here is to provide time for something that your employees love. Establish rules that will prevent them from abusing video games like setting time for breaks and monitoring them. If you provided a time and even events to cater to their video game hobby then they would anticipate that and surely follow the rules.
Allowing time and space for something which an employee loves to do is something that will boost their morale. It can improve their focus and even make them happy at work.
One study found that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy employees. When it comes to salespeople, happiness has an even greater impact, raising sales by 37%. But the benefits don’t end there.
Remember, it was already proven by several pieces of research that video games are good for you. We know that such a statement can be confusing because most of the time we hear people saying, especially parents that video games are harmful. An article published by iD Tech further articulates on the positive effects of video games.
Are you an employee or an employers? What do you think about video games? Do you agree with the above findings?