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My employer dislikes remote work, many will disagree, but I’ll explain why… The company makes video games and as you can probably guess being creative is very

My employer dislikes remote work, many will disagree, but I’ll explain why… The company makes video games and as you can probably guess being creative is very important. Working from home reduces the creativity of every employee not just because the existing tools for telecommute are insufficient to create a good work environment but also because it prevents people from socializing with spontaneity. Add to this the fact that many of the game developers and designers need special hardware (different game consoles, VPN routers, high speed Internet, interactive pen displays, additional software licenses, etc) that the company would have to buy for every single person to maintain the quality and development speed they have from working on-site. The founders were forced, due to CORVID-19, to implement an emergency protocol in case we have to move all operations off-site. The IT department was already tasked to setup VPN access for all employees, to buy a bunch of expensive equipment, to spend countless of hours training senior programmers and artists in the arts of online meetings, network troubleshooting, activation of software licenses and who knows what else. I worked for a remote-first company for roughly five years and it was great, but the business was completely different. My team was responsible for the provisioning and management of different cloud services, in fact all our products were Software as a Service (SaaS) so having a reliable Internet connection and a good enough computer was enough to do our job including leadership, management, marketing, engineering, sales, support, etc. I cannot see this happening in a game studio, it just doesn’t work. I may be wrong but I think there is not a single game studio in the industry with a fully remote work policy. If there are, I bet their success cannot compare with studios of the same size working all on-site.

mft_ 7y ago
> CORVID-19 Your renaming of the disease made me smile, but I don't think the crows will be happy :)
koonsolo 7y ago
Oh my, an informative comment like this getting downvoted without a proper reply. This is what I hate about HN, and I don't know I will stay here for much longer. And for your comment, at least I am grateful for your point of view and insight.
znpy 7y ago
> to buy a bunch of expensive equipment It should be said, though, that some as-a-service vpn and a good network engineer could probably hack together a good-enough temporary solution. I'm thinking of aws vpn services, along with proper routing and bridging on the appropriate sides.
chronofar 7y ago
> many of the game developers and designers need special hardware (different game consoles, VPN routers, high speed Internet, interactive pen displays, additional software licenses, etc) that the company would have to buy for every single person to maintain the quality and development speed they have from working on-site. Buying individuals what they need is likely still cheaper than maintaining a large office space. Likely much cheaper. > Working from home reduces the creativity of every employee not just because the existing tools for telecommute are insufficient to create a good work environment but also because it prevents people from socializing with spontaneity. The tools are not insufficient, people's use of them are. The tools will allow you to do most anything you could in an office, management must facilitate processes to produce to desired output. If team creativity is the aim you can organize situations that maximize spontaneity and interaction. I've not worked for a game studio so I certainly can't speak to the nuances therein, however the reasons you've given here for not working remote aren't compelling. People always give a host of reasons that ultimately boil down to a lack of proper process and management, which is needed in office just as much as out of office.
- Debogue 7y ago
  I'm not sure the stimulation of creativity can be improved much with process and management. Just like bouncing off ideas, brainstorms etc. works best in-person. Physical contact is something that is hard to replicate or work around with technology. Everyone has experienced the difference between webconferencing and real person meeting and can tell that one has more weight than the other. Maybe VR could be of use here since it helps lift that imaginary barrier that gives weight to conversations.
  - chronofar 7y ago
    > Just like bouncing off ideas, brainstorms etc. works best in-person. You seem set on this notion, but I very much disagree. Bouncing ideas and brainstorming can be just as productive remotely. In fact creativity can be stronger when your can more freely choose when to isolate yourself from other noise and when to socialize. > Everyone has experienced the difference between webconferencing and real person meeting and can tell that one has more weight than the other. You sure about everyone? I can tell you I personally think most in person meetings are unnecessary and distracting, and would've been better conferenced or even better not had at all. Even meetings that need to take place, I actually value in person less than conference, as it comes with various baggage of posturing and appearances. This sounds like you just have a preference for in person, likely because it's just more comfortable for you from an interpersonal standpoint. And that's fine, but don't mistake that preference for blanket effectiveness measures for the rest of your team, company, or industry.

mft_ 7y ago

> CORVID-19 Your renaming of the disease made me smile, but I don't think the crows will be happy :)

koonsolo 7y ago

Oh my, an informative comment like this getting downvoted without a proper reply. This is what I hate about HN, and I don't know I will stay here for much longer. And for your comment, at least I am grateful for your point of view and insight.

znpy 7y ago

> to buy a bunch of expensive equipment It should be said, though, that some as-a-service vpn and a good network engineer could probably hack together a good-enough temporary solution. I'm thinking of aws vpn services, along with proper routing and bridging on the appropriate sides.

chronofar 7y ago

> many of the game developers and designers need special hardware (different game consoles, VPN routers, high speed Internet, interactive pen displays, additional software licenses, etc) that the company would have to buy for every single person to maintain the quality and development speed they have from working on-site. Buying individuals what they need is likely still cheaper than maintaining a large office space. Likely much cheaper. > Working from home reduces the creativity of every employee not just because the existing tools for telecommute are insufficient to create a good work environment but also because it prevents people from socializing with spontaneity. The tools are not insufficient, people's use of them are. The tools will allow you to do most anything you could in an office, management must facilitate processes to produce to desired output. If team creativity is the aim you can organize situations that maximize spontaneity and interaction. I've not worked for a game studio so I certainly can't speak to the nuances therein, however the reasons you've given here for not working remote aren't compelling. People always give a host of reasons that ultimately boil down to a lack of proper process and management, which is needed in office just as much as out of office.

Debogue 7y ago
I'm not sure the stimulation of creativity can be improved much with process and management. Just like bouncing off ideas, brainstorms etc. works best in-person. Physical contact is something that is hard to replicate or work around with technology. Everyone has experienced the difference between webconferencing and real person meeting and can tell that one has more weight than the other. Maybe VR could be of use here since it helps lift that imaginary barrier that gives weight to conversations.
- chronofar 7y ago
  > Just like bouncing off ideas, brainstorms etc. works best in-person. You seem set on this notion, but I very much disagree. Bouncing ideas and brainstorming can be just as productive remotely. In fact creativity can be stronger when your can more freely choose when to isolate yourself from other noise and when to socialize. > Everyone has experienced the difference between webconferencing and real person meeting and can tell that one has more weight than the other. You sure about everyone? I can tell you I personally think most in person meetings are unnecessary and distracting, and would've been better conferenced or even better not had at all. Even meetings that need to take place, I actually value in person less than conference, as it comes with various baggage of posturing and appearances. This sounds like you just have a preference for in person, likely because it's just more comfortable for you from an interpersonal standpoint. And that's fine, but don't mistake that preference for blanket effectiveness measures for the rest of your team, company, or industry.