Roughly a year ago, Web Content Specialist Frank Reynolds noticed that Web Designer Antonio Colon was wearing a Dungeons and Dragons T-shirt. The two fans decided to play the board game together at lunch.
Now, a year later, many of the creative geniuses at Compulse still gather for an informal gaming session during the lunch hour. I snagged an invite and took the opportunity to learn more about the gaming group – and to lose at a delightful card game called Skip-Bo.
Who’s Who
The fun is open to all, but certain staffers show up more regularly than others. Among the most dedicated are a Technical Manager who asked to remain anonymous (but he’s our only one so you can probably figure out who he is *cough-JOSH-cough*) and a whole bunch of web designers including Antonio, Jonathan Care, Brianna Bolling and Cory Anotado. Frank is apparently really busy with work and his attendance has fallen off, but the group remains hopeful that he’ll find his way back into the fold.
Anyone can bring in a game for the group to play, but the person who chooses the game is responsible for administering its laws and explaining it to the other players. This saves everyone from having to read user guides and ensures that order is maintained – no small feat when the room is full of creatives.
“The get-together provides a great mental break during the workday and gives us a chance to hang out with people we enjoy but don’t really see much outside of work,” Antonio explained. “It also humanizes the management,” he joked. The management at Compulse is pretty friendly and doesn’t actually require much humanizing, but there’s still something nice about beating your boss at a game of…well, anything!
What’s What
It was clear to me from the start that I was in over my head, by my colleagues were great about helping me get up to speed with the rules and strategy. Today it was Skip-Bo but next time I’ll probably be starting from scratch again – the gamers here like variety.
Cory’s favorites are Uno and Exploding Kittens while Brianna likes Settlers of Catan. Jon most enjoys King’s Court because he allegedly always wins at chess, a game I’ve actually heard of! Antonio’s favorite is Betrayal at the House on the Hill, a game that introduces a variety of scenarios to keep players engaged. The anonymous manager in attendance, Josh, declined to be quoted regarding his gaming preferences, so we can only guess at which estimable pursuit he’d pick.
I’m definitely planning on stopping by again to try my luck at another game, and next time I won’t be writing an article: I’ll apply all of my skills and strategic thinking to secure victory! Or at least secure a nice break during the work day :).