Everyone likes to play computer games, but most of us think they’re inappropriate in the workplace. In fact, most workplaces block computers from loading games during work hours. Despite this, more business owners are learning that games can actually increase their success in a variety of ways. If you love taking a quick break to play games, read on as we highlight ways these supposedly silly pastimes can benefit you.
Gym Memberships for Your Mind
Many of today’s computer games give your mind the same rigorous workouts your body can get at the gym. For example, Joe Hardy, vice president of research and development for brain-game giant Lumosity, acknowledges that owning a business is one of the most “cognitively challenging” undertakings in the world. Business owners and employees must be at the top of their mental games all the time, juggling tasks, hosting meetings, testing products, and remembering clients’ names, among other challenges. Most employees are great at one or two of these things, but may struggle with others, depending on where their mental gifts lie.
Sites like Lumosity are unique in that they go beyond inviting the user to play games. With these sites, you train your brain, strengthening weak functions and capitalizing on areas where you feel confident. For instance, perhaps you struggle with visual memory or putting a name with a face. You could try Lumosity’s Familiar Faces game, in which you, the waiter, are challenged to remember virtual customers’ names after they introduce themselves. Each customer orders a drink and food item. You must deliver the correct items to the correct customer and remember each order, as not all orders are consecutive. The same customers appear on multiple game levels. If you consistently remember someone’s name, you get a tip bonus. If not, just as when you forget an order, your tip decreases.
Lumosity and sites like it, such as PositScience, also help you improve other brain functions, such as executive functioning, which entails making quick decisions and successfully completing tasks using your frontal lobe. Additionally, games like Lumosity’s Word Bubbles or puzzle-based games can help employees improve vocabulary and mathematical skills.
More Than a Distraction
Facebook games that seem designed for pure fun serve a purpose, too. Games like Candy Crush and Cookie Jam challenge players to solve puzzles and improve visual memory, but their vibrant colors, fun rewards, and cute characters also increase morale and alleviate anxiety. Similarly, games with a crime-solving component ask players to analyze dangerous situations, rescuing themselves and fictional allies. This often results in better leadership skills and decision-making during work hours, in situations that are far less dangerous than homicide investigations.
Games can be an excellent mental engagement, but companies also use them to promote brand identity or increase conversions. For more information on how this works and what it might look like for your company, in addition to other helpful marketing strategies, contact SteerPoint today.