Rovio Entertainment, best known for their mobile hits Angry Birds and Sugar Blast, closed their offices in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and are now working from home. In his interview with Pocket Gamer, Rovio Design Director Timmothy Coolidge talks about the difficulties of working remotely, himself using his 10-year-old son's bedroom as a home office.
Remote Work Hinders Productivity
Coolidge cites employees' hardware needs as one of the challenges Rovio faced when going remote. He mentions how some people prefer multiple monitors or standing desks, which they may not be able to obtain or implement on their own. However, Coolidge claims that "good planning can mitigate most of those issues."
Though, even the best planning can't account for the lack of workplace socialization. As Coolidge puts it, "most people haven't taken the time to consciously examine that part of their workflow." He suggests that working with peers in an office environment is more conducive to productivity, as there's less delay between pitching an idea and getting a response.
Social Disconnect
The video game industry, as with many creative industries, tends to attract those who express themselves in subtle, often nonverbal ways. Rovio's design team is no different, Coolidge suggests, as he claims that working from home can make reading his colleagues' emotions difficult.
"You want to make sure a person truly believes what they are saying, as a team member could answer 'yes' to a decision but not fully believe their answer," Coolidge said. "Ideally, I could see that in the delivery. Then I can follow up with questions to try to mitigate concerns or make a better decision. That process is very hard to do over text or even video chats."
Coolidge claims the shift to remote work has made it necessary to summarize decisions at the end of each meeting. He also feels that he has to reach out to participants individually to ask if they would take a different approach to the decision, as doing so "strengthens their decision."
Advice For Working Remotely
While Coolidge is eager to return to the office, he and Rovio have some advice for creatives who are new to working from home. Coolidge encourages others to "step back and be self-aware." He suggests evaluating workflow, emotions, and output to see where changes need to be made to achieve a sustainable work-life at home. He also recommends reaching out to others to see if they're facing similar challenges, and if so, what they're doing to cope.
Rovio Entertainment currently has many openings in the design department as well as others for anyone interested in being part of their team. New hires will begin working from home, but Coolidge looks forward to meeting them once the offices reopen.