Why not take game development on the road? Our German team has decided to give it a try, and has chosen to swap their individual home offices to shared working spaces in ever-changing Western European holiday homes. In the next few weeks, we will keep you posted about particular challenges and insights we gain, today starting off with the question: What were you thinking?
First of all, we were thinking this was an amazing opportunity to get the entire team into one space and make some great experiences along the way.
Second, we were thinking that there are several things to consider for accommodation from a business point of view: We need ample space for all our equipment, we need a stable internet connection that four team members could be using all day long, and we need enough space for personal breathers. Because working and living together 24/7 can get stressful – however great the team is.
Speaking of equipment, what do we need for effective work (we have a release coming up!), and how would we transport said equipment? We quickly decided to take our laptops (no-brainer), our peripherals (keyboard, mouse), and our panels. Those are most difficult to transport, as they take up plenty of space but at the same time are fragile and can’t carry any relevant load. In the end, we crafted buffer material and stacked our panels safely – and got a rear car box for heavy additional luggage.
Sunday everything arrived safely at our first location in Calais, 1,000kms from our home offices, after a comfortable 10-hour drive. It only took 10 minutes to set up four laptops, four screens and peripherals on the massive dining room table. After a surprisingly refreshing night, we went right at work Monday morning, with geese quacking in the background.
And here is our first insight:
Tables and chairs designed for dinner are not necessarily suitable for working on for hours (no surprise actually!). For some they are too low, for some they are just about right. But that just gives everyone more reason to get up from time to time and take a breath of sea air. It also doesn’t hurt when your CEO goes around and gives everyone a short neck massage. 😉
