Video games are an essential part of our remote work future

digitaltrends.com:

The pandemic changed a lot about the modern workplace. Due to COVID-19, companies had to shift away from an in-person work model in 2020, embracing remote work. It didn’t just change how we do work, but had an impact on team bonding as well. In a new age where 71% of business was being done at least partly from home and with 58% of employees saying the hybrid and remote options are here to stay, companies needed new ways to approach workplace culture.

Positive work culture can mean different things, but many see it as the attitudes, behaviors, and connectivity of those working under an organization’s umbrella. That isn’t preserved just through conversations in the break room or during meetings, but with bonding exercises and retreats as well.

With offices now digitally scattered, what are some modern ways to keep co-workers connected? In a conversation with Jackbox Games’ CEO Mike Bilder, I found that video games continue to be a solution to that puzzle — specifically party titles like Jackbox and others like it.

“Our games are always designed with the intention of playing them in the same room. We consider our products digital board games. So instead of playing Life or Monopoly, we want to create an environment where people are having fun playing party games in the same setting,” Bilder tells Digital Trends. “But because they’re digital. it just so happens they work remotely as well. Quarantine and lockdown really showed that behavior where people discovered us for the first time and found our games added a little levity to a pretty stressful time by connecting through a Zoom call, sharing your screen, and playing a Jackbox game.”

I spoke with Bilder about how games like Jackbox have become the key to not just keeping