Highlights from Level Ex Game Day: Home Edition
On May 1, the Level Ex team set aside our work (of making video games) and gathered virtually for a company-wide game day (to play other companies’ video games). Even though we have a lot of impromptu game events at Level Ex, never have we had an official day-long event. What better way to celebrate milestones we’ve hit this year like upgrading Cardio Ex and launching COVID-19 levels? COVID-19 quarantine meant we couldn’t celebrate together in person, so… Bring on socially-distanced GAME DAY.
How to Craft a Successful Socially-distanced Company Game Day
We’re a crew of creative problem solvers, so coming up with a replacement for our typical happy hours and game nights in the break room came naturally.
- Our team crowdsourced an extensive list of board games, video games, and card games that could be played from home. Our game day Slack channel came alive with ideas.
- A schedule was written up in Google Sheets and pinned… everywhere.
- We set up a Discord server with channels for each game underway.
- Prior to game day, several of our team members painstakingly recreated our entire office—a full floor of 180 N. LaSalle—in Minecraft. This served as a never-before-seen welcome for dozens of our newest hires who had arrived since COVID-19 and never had a chance to work out of our new offices. (For the rest of us, just looking at the Minecraft rendering of our kitchen made us miss the cold brew, gourmet coffee, Bevi sparkling water, kombucha and craft beer—not to mention the snacks.)
Level Ex’ers having a party in Animal Crossing and wearing custom t-shirts made in the game to resemble IRL Pride Level Ex shirts.
From World of Warcraft to Codenames, Level Ex’ers from all departments joined in friendly and fierce competition in over 20 different games. It will come as no surprise that we have some creative—and cutthroat—players in our ranks.
The games included Acquire, Catan Universe, Burgle Bros., The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth, Acron: Attack of the Squirrels, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Risk of Rain 2, Astroneer, Escape From Tarkov, Project Winter, Trivia, Archero co-op mode, Scattergories, Modern Warfare: Warzone, Overwatch, BroForce, Jackbox Party Packs, Rocket League, and Tabletop RPGs.
Bonus: Game day took place while the games industry united to encourage people to use video games as a way to connect while social distancing (#PlayApartTogether).
After you tour our “office,” check out our open positions and learn more about what makes working, and playing, at Level Ex so satisfying.
