If You Really Want to Know Someone, Play Games with Them

From casual games to serious takeaways, how it taught me more about people and their mindsets

Yes, you heard it right.

Playing games with your colleagues, especially when you barely know them, says a lot more than small talk ever could. This isn’t just about fun but a window into how people communicate, collaborate, and respond under pressure. Also, I learned about my short comings.

Back in my previous company, I was one of the new people in the room. I didn’t know anyone personally or socially. But post-work hours? We played games. Not just any games, two that surprisingly taught me more about work dynamics: Catan and Table Tennis.

Let me break it down.

Catan: The strategy game that revealed one’s work style

Catan is all about strategy, negotiation, and knowing when to act. It’s calm on the outside but mentally intense.

Quiet consistency can be really valuable

Everyone rushed to build houses, then cities. Basically, going for the visible wins. But some players quietly started building long roads, expanding reach without making noise.

Work Insight: I saw this in people who did solid research or quietly connected the dots across teams. They weren’t loud, but their impact was felt everywhere. I learned that quiet consistency and reach can sometimes be really valuable.

Navigation of difficult conversations

Catan is a trading game. To win, we had to negotiate. The real game started when we stopped pushing the personal agenda and started listening to others.

Work Insight: Some teammates were naturals at reading the room, knowing when to ask, when to pause, and how to frame a proposal. From them, I learned how to navigate difficult conversations with empathy and intention.

Valuing different perspectives

In our games, ore was the shiny object, everyone wanted it. But suddenly, we hit a shortage of sheep, and that one basic card became critical.

Work Insight: This hit me hard. At work, every team member has a unique strength. In some projects, the most unexpected skill became the game-changer. It reminded me to value diverse perspectives, even if they don’t always seem high priority at first.

Table Tennis: A crash course in control, adaptability, and mindset

Unlike Catan, Table Tennis needs movement, reflexes, and controlled intensity. It’s physical, yes, but the pressure is high too.

Controlled energy wins

As I was observing the players, some of them were using strength which only resulted in fouls. Rather than strength it was about the control and placement in most cases.

Work Insight: I saw colleagues who were calm under pressure, focused on finesse over force, and got things done with smart choices. That taught me that how I deliver mattered just as much as what I delivered.

Boundaries matter the most

It was tempting to play wild shots when I was hyped, but whenever it landed outside the table, it didn’t count.

Work Insight: There were vivid ideas that I brought to the table, however it needed a backbone. Knowing where to stop, where to simplify, was the key.

Every person is different

When playing, no two players were alike. Some were fast, some defensive, some unpredictable. No one could rely on a singular strategy.

Work Insight: At work, whether it’s clients or coworkers, every person had a different communication style, working pace, or feedback loop. Adapting my approach, without losing my identity, was a valuable skill I picked up during these sessions.

Final thoughts

These game nights weren’t just about winding down. For me, it was like a crash course in people, patterns, and presence. Especially in a design agency, where creativity, empathy, and collaboration matter, games like these gave me rare insight into how people think and how I should respond.