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Games in the Workplace?

Posted by Cliff on from the return-of-the-boss-key dept.

Anonymous Coward asks: "Back in the day it was not uncommon for games to contain 'Escape Buttons' and other commands to quickly exit a game. These games appealed to the Geek at Work as he could fill in his Friday afternoon and as soon as he heard his boss' shoes approaching, he could escape from the third dungeon and return to his spreadsheet. Yet games today are not allowing such activities to occur. Most games are requiring so much dedicated action that it is impossible to play a game and still switch back and forth without long delays. Where are the games for the worker?"

19 of 420 comments (clear)

  1. More like: Where's the Work? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As much as I like playing games at work when there is nothing to do, I would be just happy having a job at this point. 4 months of unemployment are enough for me!

    Why was it I went to college again?

  2. who has time? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Who the hell has time to play games at work? There aren't even enough hours to keep up with the work loads.

  3. Green Screen with Envy by echucker · · Score: 2, Insightful

    From the number of nasty replies, I have to wonder how many ppl are at work as they reply to this, while I sit home on my PC with the NHL playoffs on the TV in the background. Simple fact is, everyone needs a little break now and then. Look how many people spend hours a day here on slashdot. Gaming or looking at slashdot- either way you're still not doing "work", so get off of your high horses already.

  4. Re:Also a couple of Work friendly games by RealityThreek · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Heh. Forced to use Win2k over Win98.

    I've had better luck getting most games to run under Win2k than I did with any version of Windows before that.

    WinNT 4.0 and under were a different story though. ;)

    --
    :wq
  5. As a network administrator... by DocSnyder · · Score: 3, Insightful
    ...I don't see games improving security and stability on user workstations, especially on w1nd0z3 boxes. The worst things are multiplayer games which demand quite some bandwidth or even require alterations on the network infrastructure - yes, some people are smart enough... So if possible, please stay with rather non-intrusive games like Freecell or Pinball.

    For *n?x people, text mode MUDs are great games to play. They don't affect any security issues (they run on an external host), and if you really hear your boss coming in too late, it's just one out of a dozen xterms on your desktop, so switching to a different one won't be suspicious at all. ;-)

  6. The perfect game for work: by VistaBoy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    NetHack. The levels are randomly generated, there are surprises at every corner, and most importantly of all, you can minimize it. Also, if your boss has poor eyesight, he may just see that it's a text console and actually say, "Keep up the good work." Don't try to play Q3 or UT at work, as they are impossible to keep hidden on the computer since they're 600+ megabytes each. Hovever, NetHack fits on very small media, including a floppy.

  7. Re:Work is for Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How is this "troll"? I HATE it when people who actually *work* at work have to pick up the slack (or sit around bored waiting) on lazy jerks who think that an comfortable office job with a good-sized company means they can screw around. Taking a break when you are zonked out on a project is one thing, but if you are so addicted to some computer game that you cannot even wait to get home to fire it up, get some serious help.

    Obviously this doesn't apply to tech support folks watching the phones at strange hours. But if your boss gets mad if you are playing games - there is probably a *reason* you shouldn't be playing them, or your boss is a total jerk, in which case - get another job, that is probably a symptom of a serious problem....

    Adam

  8. this is why the economy is so bad now by alphasmurf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I fully understand overstaffing call centers, so that peak time is handled well. This is good customer service, and on the surface it's not a bad idea, especially when the customer is paying for it anyway.

    Letting your staff waste their free time 7 hours (or whatever) a night of vid game playing is a corporate strategy that will eventually land your company out of business, and all of your happy nightshift guys out of jobs.

    One of four things will happen to you.
    1) your client will tighten their belt, and go with a strategy that only has the 3 people working, and deal with the reduced customer service level.
    2) your client will hire a smaller group of people to handle the business themselves, and bring it inhouse
    3) another company who staffs 15 people will make a bid to only charge your customer for 4 or 5 people, and your customer will leave.
    4) your customer that is stupid enough to pay you for bloat staff will go out of business

    How does #3 work ? By making your call center staff DO SOME WORK while not taking calls. If there literally isn't anything for them to do but sit around and wait, then you have bloat in other areas.

    Who is your customer ? The firm I work for is large and has our fingers into all sorts of stuff, I am sure we could service them better than you are ...

    `let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the smurf`

    1. Re:this is why the economy is so bad now by cxgd · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you want a good response time, then you have to have people sitting around ready to take calls. How many times have you been on the end of the phone for 90 minutes listening to 'we value your call' crap.

      --
      just my 2 cents worth. you now owe me 2 cents.
    2. Re:this is why the economy is so bad now by Phroggy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      2) your client will hire a smaller group of people to handle the business themselves, and bring it inhouse

      This assumes the client can figure out how to manage support themselves. If they knew how to do that the first time, they wouldn't be outsourcing.

      3) another company who staffs 15 people will make a bid to only charge your customer for 4 or 5 people, and your customer will leave.

      No, they'll make a bid to charge for 15 people cheaper. The client believes they need 15.

      4) your customer that is stupid enough to pay you for bloat staff will go out of business

      Overstaffing a callcenter is far from the dumbest thing they're probably doing. Companies that understaff are probably more likely to go under, as all their customers leave.

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    3. Re:this is why the economy is so bad now by gad_zuki! · · Score: 4, Insightful

      4) your customer that is stupid enough to pay you for bloat staff will go out of business

      I know of one Chicago ISP that markets itself as being high-end. Not in a geek way, but in a customer service way. They're a little pricier, actually last I checked they were MSN/AOL priced for dial-ups and they have a call center just like the one described. Who would you rather give you 20 dollars a month to? 90-minute wait times to a stressed call center or to a place that gives its workers some leeway.

      Lastly, how much do you think night-time tech support workers make? Trust me, it ain't enough to bankrupt any company and your customers will be thankful they can get a human voice on the phone who knows more than what the "troubleshooter script" says at 4:30am.

    4. Re:this is why the economy is so bad now by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ummmm, saying that the call centre staff should be doing something else while not taking calls is a silly idea. What are they supposed to do? It's not like employees are magical robots that can do any task you tell them, they are trained to do something, that's what they know what to do. You can't tell a call centre tech to go do something like a router upgrade, they don't know how. When dealing with things like customer service you just have to accept that you need to have people that, at times, will sit around and do nothing. That's just part of the job. I'm sure 3am techs don't get much work in general but know what? I've called in at 3am when my net connection went down, and I expected (being that it's a bussiness line) that someone would be there to take that call and to resolve the issue.

      If you think cutting back on customer service is a good way to save money, think again. It's one of the reasons Qwest is going down in flames.

  9. Re:Ah - the secret is to.. by freeweed · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Been there from Win95. It's how I managed to IRC all day at my former work :)

    Basically, you can have mIRC minimize to the system tray. AND you can change the icon it minimizes to. I just made up a blank grey square. Boss walks in, alt-space-m makes mIRC disappear - it's amazing how adept one gets at this :)

    Considering how full of crap the average system tray is, a bit of blank space in it never aroused suspicions :)

    --
    Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
  10. Re:At my work by vegetablespork · · Score: 2, Insightful
    With all due respect, perhaps if you don't want to work in a call center for the rest of your natural life, you might spend that time bettering yourself in some way rather than playing games.

    --

    Call (206) 338-5780 COLLECT for information about a genuine BA, BS, MA, MS, MBA, or Ph.D.

  11. Teach yourself something new instead of playing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Here's a novel idea, and one I try to follow.

    Rather than playing games at work, teach yourself
    some now technology. Then, when it comes time
    for bonuses or raises you'll have a leg to stand
    on. Also, maybe it could get you into a more
    exciting and better paying job.

    That is all.

  12. Re:Two things by nodrama · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Trying to ignore the fact that this is a total troll...

    The good thing about playing games at work is that it is obviously not work. Why is this good? The most dangerous people spend a lot of time at work not being productive, while they self delude themself into thinking they are making contribution. At least when someone is playing a game they cannot avoid knowing they are slacking off.

    As an employer I much prefer someone who gives me 7 hours solid work, and takes 1 hour for gaming. The shits I hate are the ones who "go slow" for 8 hours, giving me only 4 hours of value. Work hard, play hard, it's the intensity I want.

    The first time I "catch" someone gaming I tell them:
    a) don't hide it
    b) don't charge me for it (i.e. don't count it as time worked)
    c) never ever ever let it risk a deadline

    Of course if someone is slack when the heat is on than they are out the door. But I'm yet to have to do this.

    In my experience the guys who game are the same guys who can be relied on to work weekends and mega weeks when the pressure is highest. They appreciate a no bullshit rule environment, and respect the fact that when I ask for extra effort it really is important.

  13. MUD by Kidbro · · Score: 3, Insightful

    'nuff said.

    --
    May we live long and die out
  14. Here is why I don't by eberry · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If I was an employee of a company I wouldn't play games, even if it was sanctioned in the company handbook. Two reasons:

    1. First time your project slips, guess what (or rather who) is to blame?

    Me: "I haven't completed the importing of the blah, blah data into the new system. It will be done by Friday."

    Boss: "Well you seemed to have enough time to play Quake III all last week"

    2. I could never look my boss in the face at a review and say "I deserve to make this much or this position", if he know I was playing games. (Even during lunch.)

    Bottom line is I never give them anything to hang over my head. Even if they want me to go to a conference in Florida during the middle of winter I act like I am getting screwed. Work should be as painful as possible (or look that way at least if you want to get an edge over your boss.)

    Of course I like that employees typical burn company time and equipment. It makes selling myself that much easier. I am successful as an independent contractor because I try my hardest not to waste time. I have been well trained by the Army to avoid distractions.

    I am not going to say grow up and all that. But I do think if you have time to waste like that, you're not balancing your time correctly. And as for talking to co-workers and snack runs as being just as time wasting. Rubbish! Talking to co-workers builds relationships which helps at the workplace (as long as it's not hours at a time.) Casual conversion while working can be mentally stimulating. And who can work without sugar and caffeine? If I feel I can't concetrate, I grab another Mt. Dew.

    Not preaching, just my thought on the subject.

    --
    Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Lois, this isn't my Batman glass. - Peter
  15. In-browser games! by adamp3 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In-browser games are easy to hide and are good for short-term distractions that won't totally kill your "productivity".

    Multiplayer Mini-Golf
    NetbabyWorld (not Mozilla-friendly)
    Orisinal (little Flash games)
    Spaced Penguin! (fun with gravity)

    ...at least they're better than solitaire.

    Just wish there was more out there.