In a recent conversation with a manager at a large (Fortune 250) company, the discussion turned to hiring and interviewing. With great excitement he shared his favorite interview question – I’m fairly certain he was expecting me to congratulate him on asking an outstanding interview question. The question….his favorite/go-to interview question: “Do you play video games?”
Unless you are hiring a video game tester please do NOT ask this question during your hiring/interviewing process.
Why not?
There are more than a few reasons why this is not a legitimate, valid question for the interviewing process.
First, let me share his rational: The job requires managing multiple priorities and and if someone can manage the many aspects of a video game – keeping tabs on other players, objectives to be achieved, amount of life remaining, etc then he/she can keep up with all the aspects of the job.
I understand the rational. For over twenty years I’ve listened to people rationalize why they ask particular interview questions and in most cases there is a thread of logic. Unfortunately, as with this case, the logic has some flaws and could put this manager and his company into a position of being challenged on the legitimacy and legality of their hiring process.
First and foremost, it’s not relevant to the job. He is not, in fact, hiring a video game tester. The golden rule for interview questions is that they be directly related to the job at hand.
While there may be some truth to the fact that people who are good at video games are generally good at keeping tabs on multiple moving parts, it has not been validated and, more importantly:
(1) There are a lot of people who do not play video games who are exceptional at managing multiple priorities.
(2) There are people who play video games who are so obsessed with them that their work productivity may suffer.
Given that there are a lot of people who do NOT play video games who are exceptional at managing multiple priorities (the competency we are actually in search of) here is a risk of disparate impact with this question. Disparate impact occurs when an employer uses a selection procedure/criteria, which has an effect of disproportionately excluding persons based on a protected class such as race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, or where the selection procedure is not “job related and consisted with business necessity”.
Given that, according to Entertainment Software Association, only 40% of gamers (including everything from Wii to WOW) are women, there is already a risk of disparate impact on women. Let’s add to that the economic factors which may exclude valid candidates. Video games – be it a Wii Console or a computer with internet connection and subscription to World of Warcraft, are not cheap. This implies a bias toward candidates with higher levels of disposable income.
In addition to risks of disparate impact there is also the impression this question leaves on prospective candidates. When I posted this question on Twitter, Max Resnick (@Max_Resnick) responded:
"I would seriously question that position as a potential candidate. How much extra work do I get so they can play #everquest longer"
While the job interview is designed to help you select the best candidate, questions asked also provide potential hires with insight into you and your organization. While this hiring manager is not looking to spend more time on games himself, that may be the perception of a candidate who will choose to seek an opportunity with a more committed manager.
Finally, in addition to eliminating individuals who are exceptional at managing multiple priories simply because they do not play video games, this manager was elevating candidates in the process who play video games even though doing so may reduce their overall job performance. According to researcher Nick Yee of the Daedalus Project, individuals who play World of Warcraft spend an average of 21 to 22 hours a week playing the game. I was intrigued by this statistic and contacted twenty individuals who play WOW (admittedly a very limited sampling and not a statistically valid process). Of these twenty players, 25% admitted to playing at work while they are “on the clock”.
All-in, “Do you play video games?” is a not a question that should be part of your interviewing/hiring process for a myriad of reasons! Furthermore, if an experienced hiring manager at a Fortune 250 firm is asking this question....are you absolutely certain managers in your organization up-to-speed on effective hiring/interviewing? As the economy continues to turn and hiring picks up now is the ideal time to invest in hiring managers to ensure they fully understand and can apply effective (and legal!) interviewing techniques.
I welcome your insights, thoughts, ideas and submissions of your favorite “go-to” interviewing questions for discussion.
May all your Endeavors be Insightful,
Nora A Burns, SPHR
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