clipped from www.pcworld.com

In many offices, approved gaming in the workplace is limited to the receptionist's engagement in rounds of Minesweeper or Solitaire when the phone isn't ringing. Admins may sneak off to Pogo during lunch, and the IT guys may stick around after hours for a game of Counter-Strike, but by and large video games have been no more a part of the typical company's culture than pinochle.

Things are slowly changing, however. A number of companies have found that using video games as a way to reward employees for reaching their goals or increasing their productivity can improve office productivity and morale. During the current economic downturn, rewards for overworked employees can be especially welcome.

The gaming-at-work approach is the brainchild of Snowfly, a company that provides technology-based employee incentives. According to Snowfly, the arrangement increases motivation and productivity as workers compete to earn tokens and prizes.