What playing games can teach us about organizing work

I have for some time been thinking of doing a series of blog posts that focus on what we as software developers can learn from other parts of life to make us better at developing software. And this is the first go at that.

I have always been playing a lot of games – both board games and computer games – partly because it is fun and partly because you can learn a lot from most games. For the last couple of years, I have primarily been playing a game called EVE Online. And it was when reading one of their blogs on how they plan to develop the game, that a particular part struck me as more universally appliable than just for having fun in a game.

The blog post is part of their design effort for how to improve the game and when I read this quote I immediately thought it had wider appeal than just in a game:

Maximize "can", minimize "must"

• Nullsec features should always maximize the amount of valuable options available to the player, and minimize the number of mandatory tasks they must complete
• Nullsec features should always encourage players to solve their own problems rather than using mechanics to regulate things

EVE Online is what they call a sandbox game where everything (almost) is player built or player interactable and Nullsec is the most deregulated part of the game and hence both the most dangerous but to many also the most fun part of the game.

However what struck me was that changing a few words in that statement will change it from speaking of how to enjoy a game to speak of a way that we can organize work that must strike most people in software development – especially if you are using lean or agile methods – as something to strive for:

• The way work is organised should always maximize the amount of valuable options available to the employee and the business, and minimize the number of mandatory tasks they must complete
• The way work is organised should always encourage employees to solve their own problems rather than using rules to regulate things

I think that Maximize "can", minimize "must" is a good meme - It is certainly one that I will use in the future, because I think it is a good way to quickly expess the gist of these priciples from the agile manifesto:

Build projects around motivated individuals.  Give them the environment and support they need,
and trust them to get the job done.

Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

So one of the lessons I think we can draw from playing games, is that work get more fun and rewarding if we can maximise ”can” and minimise ”must”. This might not work in all companies but I feel that in software development where creativity and innovation is essential to make a good product this is the vision I would like managers to have in a company I work in. And I do not think I am the only one that work harder, longer and get better results if I find the work to be fun and rewarding in itself (read my earlier blog post on motivation here and here).