Popularized by large corporations such as Apple, Google, and Twitter, game rooms have become a common aspect of many modern workplaces. And as a large number of businesses are beginning to designate specific office areas solely for the purpose of playing games, they are now finding that game rooms can be quite helpful when it comes to improving employee solidarity and morale, as well as attracting a younger and more enthusiastic workforce. But the advantages don’t stop there. Having a dedicated game room in the office can have a number of benefits for employee productivity and engagement, which might just help you make the decision to include games in your company as well.
A place for socialization
Clearly, one of the most attractive aspects of incorporating game rooms in the office is that they offer a space for socialization. And while it’s true that employees who have more fun at work tend to be happier, more creative, and more committed to their job, businesses that provide office games might see even more benefits, as this opportunity for socializing is essential for building a good company culture. By promoting interactions between departments and the opportunity to connect and make friends with other coworkers as well, game rooms might bring together employees who wouldn’t normally interact, thus raising office morale, and making for more connected and efficient departments.
Building stronger teams
Apart from connecting the employees who wouldn’t generally associate, game rooms can also be great for bringing existing teams together, serving as a brilliant team-building opportunity. Playing games together will allow for shared breaks and activities that aren’t work-related, giving teams the opportunity to become closer and more connected. Fostering good communication improved thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as better collaboration, games can truly help build stronger, more positive, more effective, and more successful teams.
Increasing job satisfaction
It’s a well-known fact that the office ambience and culture has a positive effect on employee retention and satisfaction as the workers who are happier and more content with the job they do often tend to develop loyalty and devotion to the company they work for A game room will only help to encourage these positive behaviours even further. Allowing employees to interact and connect with each other, foster good communication, and providing a great outlet for stress, game rooms will undoubtedly increase employee satisfaction, leading to happy and content employees who are enthusiastic about working for you.
Better focus and productivity
A game room also gives you the opportunity to incorporate some positive aspects of gaming into the office. For instance, you could fill up your gaming room with beneficial gamer drinks you could offer to your employees, preferable ones made with nootropics and adaptogens. With such a wonderful blend of herbs and plants, these drinks will help to balance hormone levels in an effort to reduce stress while also improving brain function and cognition. This means that great gamer drinks will be able to lift the mood, reduce anxiety, promote creativity, increase focus and productivity, as well as improve learning capabilities, thus making for more centred and engaged employees.
Getting up and moving around
While game rooms can clearly be beneficial from a business perspective, helping to improve the mental sharpness and attention of your employees, many people tend to overlook the health benefits these rooms offer as well. Sitting at a desk for prolonged periods of time can be incredibly harmful to our physical health, not only leading to common back issues but also increases the risk of health concerns such as diabetes and high blood pressure. On the other hand, a game room will provide you and your employees with the opportunity to get up and move around throughout the day, especially if you incorporate standing games such as ping pong and billiards, thus allowing you to maintain optimal physical health.
Building office morale
Among the most popular reasons for having a game room in the office is also building employee morale. Allowing employees to interact, socialize, and connect with each other, a game room might give your teams the opportunity to come closer together, not only leading to increased productivity and efficiency but also improving job satisfaction and overall employee happiness. What’s more, a game room can also be a great recruiting tool. Mentioning this aspect of the office when interviewing potential job candidates can give them a better perspective of your company and its culture and it might even help to attract younger employees.
A spot for relaxation and fun
Apart from the beneficial social and business aspects of game rooms, they are also a perfect place to relax and unwind at the end of a long day. Workplaces can be incredibly stressful and draining for most employees, not to mention many of them could be dealing with personal issues as well. By providing your workers with a dedicated space for relaxation and fun in the office, a game room will give your employees the opportunity to release some of that built-up stress, helping to raise happiness, satisfaction, and morale, while also allowing for increased concentration, productivity and engagement.
Requirements of a game room
Even though puzzles and board games might be used in some companies, they tend to be too time-consuming to be appropriate for the average office. Similarly, tabletop and pen-and-paper games won’t provide your employees with the physical and mental benefits required of an office game room. For that reason, it might be wiser to opt for more mentally and physically engaging interactive games that can be played in shorter periods of time, such as foosball, pool, and ping pong tables, or even arcade games. Some companies have also found that computer games, specifically multiplayer options, can be quite beneficial for team-building and employee interaction.
From improved physical and mental health to the recruitment value and the impact on communication and team-building, game rooms have a number of benefits for employee productivity, engagement, and overall satisfaction. Evidently, they are a necessary aspect for any company that is built for success.
