It’s interesting to see the reactions of people when I mention that I play foosball at work. Many seem to think that this is a waste of time during work hours and can’t believe that my employer would support this. Others mention that they would love to work for an employer like mine. Foosball does have a following in the engineering and software community for good reason.
Most employers recognize that many things are important to to productivity. For software engineers things like screen realestate, and computer power come to mind quickly followed by ergonomic concerns, like ergonomic keyboards, and adjustable supportive chairs.
These are important things, but you can still get tunnel vision staring at a computer screen all day.
What many people don’t seem to realize is that much of software engineering comes in spurts. Sure we can write code all day, but we have very different levels of productivity during the day. My peak time is the morning. Let me solve the big problems before lunch and schedule meetings after lunch. I know other software engineers who barely function before lunch. The key is that there is creative problem solving time and “coding” time when you are just filling in the blanks.
What also isn’t well understood by others is that our productive time is an order of magnitude more productive than our less productive time. If there were just a way to add to the productive time… A little foosball can refresh your mind, get a little adrenaline going and help keep you in the zone a little longer.
What does Foosball in the work place actually accomplish?
It is also great for morale and for some it is a way to blow of steam. It can energize you, and get you to focus on something besides your screen for a while. It allows you to form additional relationships and is a way for the new guy to meet people outside of the projects he is on.
Why foosball? There are obviously many other indoor activities to pick from.
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It takes up little floor space and 4 people can play at once.
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The games “generally” go very quickly.
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It doesn’t require you to be an athlete to enjoy.
So you are interested and want to know what to get.
You might get a cheap table to test the water, but the game play much less enjoyable. The table will be light and move around a lot. It may not be adjustable to keep level. The players aren’t balanced and the bearings wear out fast making the rods stick. Also the table surface will tend to be flexible and will warp with time. Still you can test the water to see if there is enough interest in your group.
The table above was completely warn out in about 3 months.
The amount of abuse a Foosball table takes is amazing. What you want is something well built and servicable. If you have the budget I would recommend a Tornado T-2000. For a chunk less money the Tornado Cyclone has the same playing surface but is lighter. I found my T-2000 coin op at a local bar that was remodeling and getting rid of the table. The table cleaned up really well, and all parts are readily available. Also get a maintenance kit ( pin tool, Bearing Nut Tool, replacement players, replacement pins, silicone lubricant )
Happy Foosing !!!
Foosing takes less time than taking a smoke! All offices should have them as a smoke deterent.