In my experiences, this all coincide flawlessly with how the "game" is played. On top of that, it embodies the gervais principle. Always talk positive, don't be afraid to give others credit and be viewed as a team player, quit thinking just about yourself. All of which aren't specifically because someone wants to do that thing like a dumb office game, but because it's a litmus test for others to view you. The better…
When people talk of playing a “game” in regard to any social obligation - especially when they admit that the playing of the game is largely indistinguishable from earnest ethical behavior - they are telling on themselves, not their environment. They are saying they view their obligations and the attitude of their interlocutors as artifice and sincerity as idiocy. They expect constant, low-level deception from their peers, over-generalizing past negative experience. If a critical mass of participants adopt this attitude, the earnest among them are turned out and the imagined hostile environment becomes real.