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A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

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Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#81

Post by iamcasen »

I still find it hard to believe that fully-async working style is more productive in the long run. My experience with it was that the pace of synchronous collaboration and decision making is about 5X faster than async. A group of engineers or a product team standing around a whiteboard in physical space is going to win the day every time IMO.

Perhaps if a company has reached series A and developed a lot of in-person trust and communion, they could successfully start expanding to a remote situation.

I really think it just depends on the work that's getting done, and the nature of the collaboration and decision making that's required.

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#82

Post by Waterluvian »

devnullbrain wrote: post #57
FFP999 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's one thing that drives me crazy, the occasional game I see where you can't accelerate the text at all, it just dribbles out onto the screen at the pace of the slowest reader imaginable.

As a child I could never tolerate watching my friends play Pokemon for that reason. You can increase the text speed from the processional default but none of them ever did.

Link’s Awakening had painful moments like that. Every time you pick up a piece of power or acorn or compass or map. Or bump into a slime block without the boots equipped. Etc.

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#83

Post by Supermancho »

gryn wrote: post #80
Supermancho wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Errr..no. I only played video games because they were fun What is a game? I would say that a game is an abstract system used to understand our reality (or experiences in life), via a series of interactive actions that alter the system. Generally there is a set of goals (usually just to "win"). I develop software because it's a game. I do watch a lot of progress bars. Aside from that, it's one of my favorite games (…

yes, technically well kinda, but not the most common definition of it. when defining something it's also pertinent to ask yourself what isn't included in that set. what isn't a game in this case ? almost any dynamical system would kinda fit your definition. including turing machines. to go the absurd length. If I identify as a vegetarian but mostly eat meat then what is that word even supposed to mean ? words value i…

> almost any dynamical system would kinda fit your definition

I've thought about it a lot. It's a definition that came from a psychology book and various definitions I've encountered over the years. Games teach us about reality, using an abstract set of rules. Anything you can interact with, to see what happens, in pursuit of a goal. When there's a finite set of outcomes, you can optimize, but for complicated systems that do not offer any amount of control, the game loses something necessary.

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#84

Post by [deleted] »

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #4

>A Video Game that Pays Errr..no. I only played video games because they were fun, not because I made any money from them. While the job or workplace, for the vast majority of people on this earth, including those in SW development, is mostly an activity done out of necessity of not being homeless and not starving, usually picked on the basis of the highest compensation because that's what pays the bills, not out of…

[deleted]

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#85

Post by Supermancho »

mym1990 wrote: post #77
Supermancho wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Errr..no. I only played video games because they were fun What is a game? I would say that a game is an abstract system used to understand our reality (or experiences in life), via a series of interactive actions that alter the system. Generally there is a set of goals (usually just to "win"). I develop software because it's a game. I do watch a lot of progress bars. Aside from that, it's one of my favorite games (…

This seems like an extremely over complicated way of defining a game. If I play chess, or a video game, or tennis, I am not doing those things to 'understand my reality'. I am doing them because it is usually fun and gives me some kind of dopamine (ymmv), you might even say I play games to get away from reality. Some people use games to learn, some use them to accomplish an otherwise mundane task. Some people split g…

> If I play chess, or a video game, or tennis

> I am not doing those things to 'understand my reality'.

Not to be argumentative, but I am sure you are. You are attempting to control state and then optimizing for a goal. There are constraints on your ability to manage your own mental and physical capabilities (knowledge, limitations, etc).

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#86

Post by ta1243 »

cultofmetatron wrote: post #72
ta1243 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying that people should be working an extra 10 hours a day? Otherwise they are just stealing time and money form their owner^W employer

employees aren't paid for those 10 hours of commute so mayeb it would be more accurate to say "they are just stealing time and money form their employee "

Sure, but I know many companies that will think it should be the other way round

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#87

Post by ben_jones »

eddtries wrote: post #62
michaelteter wrote: post #52

> easy to confuse physical presence with productivity Early in my career I worked for the US division of a giant Japanese company. On the occasions that executives from Japan would come visit, we were expected to periodically stop working (programming) and carry papers to and from other cubicles and manager offices. This apparently gave the impression that we were working very hard, when of course it was really makin…

Japan is improving here thankfully! I’ve heard of workplaces that have drones fly around buzzing at 6pm to try kick people out

Wait wouldn’t a drone hitting a person or a ceiling fixture and then crashing into a person be really dangerous?

Like they’re fixing workplace culture by careening rotary aircraft around the room?

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#88

Post by tombert »

JohnMakin wrote: post #78
mattlondon wrote: post #26

Games are fun though, work is tedious and 99% of people would quit immediately if they won the lottery (...but I bet they'd still play games even with millions in the bank)

People often describe me as unhappy, yet I'm one of the only people I know whose life would barely change if they won the lottery. In other words, I'd still be doing the exact same work I'm doing now, albeit probably with greater freedoms/less stress than I do now. I guess that means I'm "content" or whatever.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this; certainly more energy than it deserves since I don't buy lottery tickets.

If I somehow got enough money to where I never have to work again, I think I'd still do software engineering at a company, but I think I would stop focusing on how much I'm being paid, and more importantly, I'd stop being scared all the time.

I've been "laid off" (really fired) twice in the last year (and there's still time for a third!), and it's led to a near-constant state of fear on my end. Every time my manager schedules a meeting, I'm petrified that it's gonna be outlining the details of my severance and COBRA. Every night, I'm psychotically checking my email to make sure that I didn't forget some requirement that's going to piss off an executive. I'm constantly afraid to speak my mind at my job because I'm afraid that if I say something unpopular that it will be the final straw, and I'll be stuck spamming LinkedIn again.

If I had millions upon millions of dollars to my name, I think I'd have less anxiety about everything. If I get fired, who cares? If I get a bad review and don't get a promotion I want, no big deal. The job would be there to supply me with a stream of interesting problems, not an existential requirement.

ETA:

Just to be clear, my managers at my current job are perfectly nice, they've never done anything to make me feel like I should be walking on eggshells, I'm just dealing with some trauma.

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#89

Post by hiAndrewQuinn »

I wonder if I've had an unusual start to my career wrt remote work. My career began remote, stayed that way until my employer enforced RTO still during COVID-19... which I proceeded to follow for about 2 weeks before moving to Finland for some reason, where WFH is more the rule than the exception for software jobs.

On the other hand, WFH is the only reason I have any desire to do 10-11 hour days, because I genuinely like working but only from the comfort of my own home. Even when I was in high school I preferred to skip class to read the textbook instead.

Re: A Video Game That Pays: Lessons Learned from Working Remotely

#90

Post by enneff »

mdgrech23 wrote: post #67
david422 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've learned that appearances can be just as important as actually being productive. ie It's important that the big bosses know who you are and think you are productive, and sometimes that means being less productive in order to show that you are productive.

Feel this speaks how to the social classes omnipresent in our world. We want to pretend we live in a classless society but we really don't. If you have to work for a living you're working class. Too many people these days have become corporate sympathizers trying to justify this absurd bonuses to CEOs.

Who in 2023 is under the illusion that we live in a classless society??
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