Gaming in the Workspace

ByGoneYrs

Gaelic Oracle
Hello everyone,

I have been in IT now for over 21+ years, and over the years I have done a lot of gaming in the workspace. It started as just a employee and latter as management. What was done over the years as a piece of hardware (server) was retired if it was still working it would be used as a test bed to teach the younger IT members (Sys Admins, Network Techs, DBAs, and programmers/developers).

We would load up a server based game on that server and open up the server to our internal network for all IT to play. The server was always set behind a firewall and isolated within the internal network. Sometimes we would open just that server up to the open internet to allow others to join us from outside the company as well.

We would have the game server open and up for play from about 11:30 am till 1:30pm, and then again after 5pm till 7am. This Gaming server helped to teach many IT folks a lot different work based skills. It also made to create team spirt within the work place. I have done this a couple of times in every company I have worked over the years and has been a great success. As IT management I believe you should have fun and enjoy what you do, and little perks go a long way.

Now the games I have always seem to have on these servers where:

- Tribes: Starsiege
- Tribes 2
- Tribes Aerial Assault
- Tribes Vengeance
- Tribes Ascend

These were a few that I bought the Game Software for the games and loaded up for play. There were many others that were also played as well. I would often play every lunch time on teams with great enjoyment.

Have anyone else had such experiences?
 
No gaming for me, just hard labor, or mentally taxing office work, but I love video games, I have the Nientendo and a classic Atari set, its pretty cool....
 
Have anyone else had such experiences?
Only way back, going back to my days of working PT at Egghead while in school. Back then we'd play stuff like Doom (the original one using IPX) and Hexen on our store LAN.

After that all of the IT groups I've been in were pretty strict about enforcing nothing unauthorized on the servers.

My current employer, who I've been with since 2000, even has the security groups running remote scans on all servers & workstations looking for anything unauthorized. :( I can't blame them, mind you, since we deal with sensitive customer data. It's not all bad though as, for example, I'm writing this while at the office. :whistle:
 
Well times have changed but I am a Director of IT where I work and I control the policies there. Now years ago companies use to purchase servers, but now they mostly lease servers and change them out every 3 years. We still own a few servers that I have retired them into a LAB. Thus I use the game to train and teach IT members how to do things, get work loads and troubleshoot issues. It has worked out as a very effective teaching tool and environment. Also when you isolate the LAB environment, everything is safe.
 
I remember working at a couple shops where we put together buggies for use on shop picnics.
I practiced my mig welding building a frame for one such buggy. I think its pretty much the same thing.
Shop projects that refine skills is the same as OJT without the pressure.
 
Well times have changed but I am a Director of IT where I work and I control the policies there. Now years ago companies use to purchase servers, but now they mostly lease servers and change them out every 3 years. We still own a few servers that I have retired them into a LAB. Thus I use the game to train and teach IT members how to do things, get work loads and troubleshoot issues. It has worked out as a very effective teaching tool and environment. Also when you isolate the LAB environment, everything is safe.
Cool....
 
But one thing did cross my mind, If some one is hired to do a job, then its time to do your job. That is what you are payed to do, and you should do it. That's the problem with tech jobs, you have too much "free" time. Get a real mans job in a factory or a yard, and you will truly know what it is to be a hard worker......;););)
hard_work_pays_off.png
 
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Well people that work in IT like Sys Admins, Network Techs, Storage Techs, Database Administrators, and Security Techs have to work long hours. They work off hours like over night and weekends. You have no idea how many times I was paged or called at like 2 to 4 am in the morning to troubleshoot some issue for a hour or so and then had to be in at 8am the next morning. Or how many Thanksgivings or Christmas days were interrupted because some Developer wanted to roll out new code on those days and everything blows up and it is our job to fix the mess they created. Don't think for one moment that IT folks just sit around and twiddle their thumbs with nothing to do. Most Techs are cross trained in multiple job Cores and are always learning and digging into things. Many of them do a full days work (9 hours) and then have to log on for some extra work at night too. I have been in the IT field for 25+ years and they have always had something to do and they are extremely stressed as well too. If something happens at 2am in the morning, you have Directors, VPs breathing down your neck demanding it resolved and asking many questions that waste your time as you try to resolve and fix a issue. I have had to tell them to stop and let the staff troubleshoot the issue and resolve it. I tell them we will disclose all in the reveal the next morning/day when we have all the details.
 
Well people that work in IT like Sys Admins, Network Techs, Storage Techs, Database Administrators, and Security Techs have to work long hours. They work off hours like over night and weekends. You have no idea how many times I was paged or called at like 2 to 4 am in the morning to troubleshoot some issue for a hour or so and then had to be in at 8am the next morning. Or how many Thanksgivings or Christmas days were interrupted because some Developer wanted to roll out new code on those days and everything blows up and it is our job to fix the mess they created. Don't think for one moment that IT folks just sit around and twiddle their thumbs with nothing to do. Most Techs are cross trained in multiple job Cores and are always learning and digging into things. Many of them do a full days work (9 hours) and then have to log on for some extra work at night too. I have been in the IT field for 25+ years and they have always had something to do and they are extremely stressed as well too. If something happens at 2am in the morning, you have Directors, VPs breathing down your neck demanding it resolved and asking many questions that waste your time as you try to resolve and fix a issue. I have had to tell them to stop and let the staff troubleshoot the issue and resolve it. I tell them we will disclose all in the reveal the next morning/day when we have all the details.
I have worked in many, many jobs, I know It, jobs, if you are high up, you pretty much set your own hours, if you are a pawn you do as they tell you. When a job forces you to work more than 9 hrs, may be its time to find another job. I'm off today, I restore vehicles, and I'm a free lance artist. Dude I have worked double shifts in a factory to get me through college, and back then we had no time to waste time. 30 min sometimes 15 minute lunches and its presto back to work. Like is said work hard at a job and you will be ok. Gen-x has spoken....
 
Alright Hoss, I have some errands to run, and I got to get a Jaguar running better, dam classic euro cars, mmm fuel vapors. Haaaaa! Yehhhawwwww!
54947f75ab516_Randall-Tex-Cobb-Daniel-Royce-Earthquake-Toberman-MacGyver.jpg
Later days bubba!
 
Well people that work in IT like Sys Admins, Network Techs, Storage Techs, Database Administrators, and Security Techs have to work long hours. They work off hours like over night and weekends. You have no idea how many times I was paged or called at like 2 to 4 am in the morning to troubleshoot some issue for a hour or so and then had to be in at 8am the next morning. Or how many Thanksgivings or Christmas days were interrupted because some Developer wanted to roll out new code on those days and everything blows up and it is our job to fix the mess they created. Don't think for one moment that IT folks just sit around and twiddle their thumbs with nothing to do. Most Techs are cross trained in multiple job Cores and are always learning and digging into things. Many of them do a full days work (9 hours) and then have to log on for some extra work at night too. I have been in the IT field for 25+ years and they have always had something to do and they are extremely stressed as well too. If something happens at 2am in the morning, you have Directors, VPs breathing down your neck demanding it resolved and asking many questions that waste your time as you try to resolve and fix a issue. I have had to tell them to stop and let the staff troubleshoot the issue and resolve it. I tell them we will disclose all in the reveal the next morning/day when we have all the details.
Same with the mechanic field.
Not so much as a customer base than in fleet based.
I too have been called to the road (Road Calls) at ungodly hours but still required to work my shift.
I've worked the floor at a 24/7 shop where I've been called in on Christmas Eve to help have the trucks ready for the morning runs.
Many times I have worked my shift and been called out as I was leaving or called back when I got home just to work a stranded truck that other technicians couldn't get to in time.
I've made parts runs on my day off because I was asked.

To me, it was just part of the job I was asked to do.
If I didn't like it, I would have quit.
Even when I was salary, with 3 shifts of mechanics working for me, I was always working a 24 hour day, on call when needed. As a manager, there were times I donned coveralls and helped get a truck out on time, not because I had to but because I knew my people were working hard and needed a hand.
There were many days as a manager that my hourly pay was significantly less than my previous hourly pay.

Its probably why my body finally gave up.
Thing is, I never really needed to complain about it?
If I were able, I would still be doing it.
I liked my job.

I'm curious tho, what does all this have to do with gaming in the workplace?
 
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