For many years the perception of video games has been changing. They were seen more as a distraction and a waste of time, when in reality they were a different form of entertainment. Today, video games are super popular and have managed to change that perception as they have shown the variety of benefits they offer.

A study report by The Olson Group shows that there were 2.69 billion gamers in the world at the end of 2020. This means that most people are either familiar with video games or have played one at some point in their lives.

With this information about such a well-known practice, we ask ourselves, how can we turn video games into a tool that a company can use to create better employees?

Here are 4 reasons why gaming in the workplace can benefit employees and employers:

• Productivity Booster

A study conducted by Brigham Young University showed that a 20% increase in productivity can be achieved by playing video games with your work teams for just 45 minutes. They not only increase productivity but also help to prevent burnout (a result of the lack of a brain break). Playing video games helps reduce stress and release energy.

• Strengthens the Community er

Since before the pandemic, video games have managed to connect people based on their tastes and preferences, creating global communities. Within the company, these small groups can be created where people can share about their favorite video games and recommend it to their colleagues; this allows an environment where employees can connect more with each other about issues that don’t necessarily have anything to do with daily work.

• Survival Skills

Video games help foster and strengthen teamwork! There are many games where collaboration, organization, and communication are the keys to victory. This could unwittingly foster teamwork and effective communication among employees. Part of the fun in video games is the collaboration between everyone. The strategic part of organizing and communicating specifically, a team practicing that once a week would improve their workflow tremendously.

• Inspiration

There are video games that test your brain and force you to think of solutions outside of the basic options. This helps to strengthen strategic thinking where for a problem you can identify or find 5 different solutions, that's creativity! Creativity is strengthened with video games since you are always thinking about what else you can do, this can help keep employees inspired

Video games should be used as a gamification tool in the workplace. They have the potential to be used for recruitment strategies, training, or even for incentive purposes. And remember, technology is ever-changing and we must grow with it, incorporating video games into your workplace can lead to major improvements that can benefit you and your employees.

As a business, you can change the way your business succeeds. Help your employees thrive with ideas that come out of the box.