We have a handful of colleagues in our Perficient Atlanta office who enjoy playing board games. After several independent games were organized at the office, we knew there would probably be interest in an office-wide gaming event. This inspired us to launch an “official” board game night, and we’ve hosted four so far.
The gatherings have drawn not only our die-hard board game enthusiasts but also our uninitiated teammates who want to join in and have some fun. Some colleagues bring in their old standby games that they’ve played with friends and family over the years and want to experience with their coworkers. Some have taken the opportunity to purchase new games that they’ve been wanting to try out (and previously had no excuse to buy).
Our board game nights have presented a great opportunity to socialize with colleagues and to learn more about one another. The time together outside of working hours has helped strengthen professional relationships and ultimately, our teams.
Not to mention, crushing (or being crushed) by a colleague in a board game is just plain fun. It’s something you then share with those colleagues forever and is a perennial source of discussion and bragging rights alike (mostly the latter).
We have a great team in Atlanta. It’s tight-knit and welcoming at the same time. I’ve found that the atmosphere during board game night isn’t all that different from the atmosphere we enjoy in our day-to-day work lives. Both environments are laid-back, casual, welcoming, encouraging, and kind.
These are the games we played during our most recent board game night:
Photosynthesis©
Michael Yao, technical consultant; Chase Spivey, associate technical consultant; Will Sullivan, associate technical consultant; and I played Photosynthesis (pictured below). There was a slight learning curve as no one had played before. Despite that, strategies began to emerge toward the end of the game. With some eleventh-hour tree harvesting, Michael pulled out the win. I think we all need to work on our light-gathering game for next time. Gunning for the richer soil in the center of the board, I can confirm, is not a good strategy.
Fury of Dracula©
Justin Combs, resource manager; Bill Veldman, lead technical consultant; and Brian Ball, senior solutions architect; played Fury of Dracula (pictured below). Brian played Dracula and Justin and Bill played the four vampire hunters. Dracula was gradually whittled down in combat despite all of his dirty tricks, which included transforming into a bat, a wolf, and a fine mist. Poor Mina was trapped in a city after Dracula double-fogged it, trapping her for a couple of turns. Eventually, Justin and Bill cornered Dracula and were able to take off those last few hit points with some choice combat card plays to win the game.
Photosynthesis© 2010-2017 Blue Orange Games
Fury of Dracula © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2015. Fury of Dracula, the Fury of Dracula logo, GW, Games Workshop, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likeness thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under license.
SEE ALSO: Colleagues in our Fairfax, Virginia, office have also joined together for board game nights. Read more here.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
Follow our Life at Perficient blog on Twitter via @PerficientLife.
Connect with us on LinkedIn here.
