With the highly anticipated release of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI just around the corner, one company is unveiling a new perk for its employees: paid time off for gaming.
In an initiative it is calling “Logi Game Day,” consumer electronics firm Logitech announced yesterday that each of its 7,000 workers will receive one paid day off per year to play video games.
Along with hosting a streaming event at its Americas headquarters in San Jose on November 19, the company says it is “formally recognizing the cognitive and professional benefits of gaming.”
“It’s time to retire the stereotype that gaming is a waste of time,” said CEO Hanneke Faber. “As a company designing products for work and play, we see every day how engagement in one sphere supports performance in the other.”
It’s no coincidence that Logi Game Day falls on the same day as one of the most-hyped video game releases in recent memory. Grand Theft Auto VI is the first new title in the best-selling series in 13 years, and many workers are already planning on catching “GTA flu” to make the most of release day.
In one survey of 1,000 U.S. adults who work full-time and regularly play video games, 39% said they planned to request time off in advance to play the game, 36% said they planned to call in sick on release day, and 32% said they would work from home.
The Wall Street Journal has already warned of a “work blackout,” and a Spanish economist has estimated that the release of GTA VI could cost the U.S. $1 billion in lost productivity.
Clearly, Logitech is unbothered by such concerns. The company, which sells gaming equipment through its dedicated gaming brand, Logitech G, has published research showing that gamers believe gaming builds real-world confidence, reduces anxiety, and even corresponds with improved performance at work.
“When people have dedicated time to log off, decompress and immerse themselves in play, they return with clearer focus, renewed energy and fresh approaches to complex challenges,” said Logitech chief people officer Elaine Laird in a release.
“Play is not the opposite of work,” she said.