Earlier quoted context omitted.
A fire drill where we don't pretend it's real but do take the drill seriously, is fine. A fire drill where the Health & Safety guy insists that we pretend it's real - yes, most people find this cringe-inducing. For more on this, see Dwight Schrute.
There's a bit of a difference between a fire drill in an office building from the perspective of a regular office employee - and a firefighter. In the latter case it would be expected to have people working as victims complete with mocha[1] injuries and feigned panic. I don't see why simulating working a bug report need be cringe inducing... If everyone is just playing themselves. [1] unintentional humor. I suppose t…
And which one of those do you think a tech support interview is closer to?