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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.

Another practice whose popularity is growing is the use of video games as training tools. Numerous public safety and military organizations use video games to simulate field conditions. (For example, the battle simulator America's Army, developed by the U.S. Army, has become an enormously successful recruiting tool for the military.)

But you don't have to shoot Nazis to find value for games in the workplace: A company called Executive Command uses the strategy game Empire Earth II to teach managers how to improve their strategic thinking and work as part of a team.

At Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Portland, Oregon, IT department members earn virtual "tokens" for performing certain activities: Resetting a user's password is worth 2 tokens. Implementing a cost-saving idea earns 30 tokens.

Employees can then "spend" these tokens to play quick, chance-based video games. The games are more akin to slot machines: Tokens are converted into points, which can be redeemed for prizes, including cash.

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