BBH Singapore gamifies return to office for staff

With working from home no longer the default mode in Singapore from 5 April, advertising agency BBH Singapore has launched an Instagram game that trains corporate staffers to be workplace ready again.

The interactive eight-bit game, named “Back to the Office”, is a tongue-in-cheek nod at workplace policies in a post COVID-19 world. Players take on the role of an employee at BBH Singapore, and they are tasked to avoid maskless colleagues, duck from client briefs for a post-COVID world, and escape an overcrowded pantry that breaches social-distancing guidelines. 

To power up, players are tasked to grab as many COVID-19 essentials as they can - whether that’s energy drinks or toilet paper rolls. It’s the ultimate game of post-WFH survival, BBH Singapore said. The game is designed to resemble the interiors of the agency’s office at 5 Magazine Road, from its barn-like front doors to its black spiral staircase right in the middle of the office. 

Check out the filter here.

The Ministry of Manpower has announced that up to 75% of staff can return to the office from 5 April, making Singapore one of the first few countries in the world to do so. This Instagram game is the agency’s way to get people to celebrate returning to the office as the nation prepares for an easing of guidelines.

Christine Lim, art director at BBH Singapore, said that this is one initiative that adds a bit of fun to the workplace: “The return to the office is a big milestone for Singapore, and we hope that this game helps to ease the transition in an unexpected way. Hopefully it helps to combat some Monday work blues.”

Earlier in October last year, the agency also surprised its employees with a giant tamagotchi-style virtual pet sheep named Dotty. This came following the easing of lockdown during the initial phase of the pandemic, as the Singapore government announced that more people were allowed back in offices. Dotty is modelled after BBH’s famed Black Sheep logo and is the brainchild of the creative technology team at the agency. In most respects, Dotty behaves like a real pet and needs to be fed when hungry, entertained when bored and cleaned up when it makes a mess. When treated right, Dotty is also able to extend birthday greetings, greet clients, give lunch recommendations, or take a selfie with office friends. When ignored, Dotty also sends snarky, passive-aggressive reminders to gain the attention of employees through its own email address. 

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