By Tristan Ver V. Gonzales, Product Manager, Lenovo Philippines
What once began as a tool for simulation and recreation by computer scientists, video games and gaming in general have become bigger than ever and are undoubtedly now a part of popular culture around the world. The phenomenon has become so huge that there are those whose career involve playing video games, either by streaming their gameplays online or engaging in national and international competitive plays for monetary compensation. The same can be said in the Philippines, with streamers being likened to celebrities and eSports becoming endorsed and recognized as an official sport by the government, as was the case during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Video games are also making their way into corporations. Psychologists, along with the gamers themselves, say the benefits go beyond fun or amusement. Businesses that embrace gaming as part of corporate culture have seen higher levels of motivation among their workers, and a greater sense of camaraderie among their teams.
Corporate gaming leagues, like regular sports, can help create a sense of camaraderie that strengthens engagement and collaboration, and nurtures a sense of corporate unity needed by employees to weather the physical disconnection sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A more connected workforce for a stronger corporate culture
At the peak of the outbreak, the United Nations had warned of a global mental health crisis as a result of the pandemic. It is therefore critical for organizations to find ways to galvanize employees to work together and maintain a sense of belonging. Doing this can help ensure business continuity in an uncertain climate, despite staff being physically apart.
In addition, familiarity can be nurtured among colleagues, thereby promoting collaboration between teams. While there are a myriad of virtual ways to help staff relate to each other, such as virtual happy hours and meditation classes, our experience has shown that in today’s precarious circumstances, gaming is a fun and effective approach to enable employees to connect with each other, nurture corporate culture and spark creativity.
Gamification builds company culture
Research has also shown that gaming in groups helps develop a sense of belonging to the community and members. Whether employees are passionate gamers or not, organizations can leverage on the unifying characteristics of gaming to create a sense of connection among remote employees, by setting up corporate gaming teams and various social gaming communities online.
This has been done successfully in Lenovo Japan, which created the first corporate gaming league in the market. With employees already part of sports interest groups offline, Lenovo Japan replicated a gaming league online, offering its employees a platform to further develop their connections with colleagues during the pandemic.
The initiative has become a social experience that helps employees build connections with colleagues outside of their day-to-day job functions. In addition, gaming also requires employees to exercise similar skills found in face-to-face team building activities, such as teamwork, strategic thinking and planning, creative thinking, communication and managing success and failure. Feelings of camaraderie are formed through teaming and working towards a common goal. By working together over time, employees build relationships that strengthen their sense of belonging over a common interest, quickly becoming a shared part of corporate culture.
In addition, with gaming becoming a rising activity among women coupled with the fact that gaming can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age, gender and experience, corporate gaming leagues could help an organization foster a more positive culture and team spirit, enabling employees to collaborate productively and creatively. Gaming also has the potential to bring people with different backgrounds together, paving the way to foster more diversity and inclusion.
Reinvigorate corporate culture and creativity through gaming
While it is important to provide the right technology to support employees as they work remotely, it is equally, if not more, important to ensure a supportive corporate culture and foster creativity. Even though these are still early days for corporate gaming leagues, we believe that when gaming goes corporate and employees feel connected with one another, businesses ultimately level up—raising employee motivation and sense of belonging during this disconnected time.