Re:Show HN: Gamejoy – hosted Zoom games for remote teams
by WorldMaker on Wednesday January 20, 2021 @01:40PM
(#25850175)
You have to be careful about the other side too, if people did take the game seriously that can cause fractures in the group that would have repercussions elsewhere. "How can I trust you to get the work done that you said would get done when I know you are so good at lying?" I've seen good friendships end over traitor mechanic games, and I don't want to imagine what it would look like to see a work team destroyed by one.
Re:Show HN: Gamejoy – hosted Zoom games for remote teams
by sentinel on Wednesday January 20, 2021 @02:28PM
(#25850799)
Exactly – I think this is what my concern is as well.
I think the best analogy for this is when AOC played Among Us and was the impostor. Was she going to turn her political mind to 100% and win the game, and in front of the world show "how it's done by a pro"? I don't think so. Similarly, I think a manager or someone jockeying for a position would be reluctant to play to win, especially as impostor.
But, in a work environment, I think some people would be careful about "showing they are good at lying". Therefore, when it's their turn to be the imposter, they will self-sabotage so they don't even try to manipulate or lie. I suppose all this depends on how political or close-knit the team you are in is, so YMMV. I can see this working great in a startup, but maybe not so much in a larger company, where a certain amount of politics permeates interactions.
I think this takes a toll on how fun the game can be in the end. Which is why, I don't think I'll recommend Among Us again, because I think some people just don't want to show a "dirtier" side of themselves especially in front of others.
Side note – I do love Among Us and I am playing it with friends whenever I can. I do think it has some great team-building ideas in it, probably unintentionally, as I don't think it was created as a workplace team building game. If there could be a similar game, that would keep the team building, but with less of the deceiving, that could be a real winner for the team-building activity in the age of remote work.