Wellbeing First: Our Commitment to Sustainable Creativity

Putting people before productivity stats

At Lo-Fi Games, our ethos is built on the premise that professional success needn’t come at the cost of sanity. Not just because we like our staff (we do, mostly), but because we know that making good games isn’t sustainable if the people behind them are burnt out, overstretched, or quietly spiralling.

Our value Wellbeing First isn’t about compulsory yoga sessions in the basement or hiring a vibes consultant and calling it a day – not that we’ve got anything against yoga, or vibes per se. It’s about how we make decisions, how we plan work, and how we support each other across the company in every direction.

What that looks like in practice

Over the past few months, we’ve been ferociously digging into what wellbeing really means. Initially, we’d earmarked a quarter for focusing on the topic. But with a jump in recent marketing workload (see Kenshi: Meet the Makers, plug plug plug) and this value’s vital importance, we decided this topic needs to be discussed for as long as it takes – because the irony of crunching on a ‘no-crunch’ initiative wasn’t lost on us.

On a day-to-day level, this commitment profoundly shapes how we approach our workloads. It means making a conscious decision to plan work realistically, ensuring ample time is allocated for tasks rather than resorting to last-minute rushes. There’s a clear understanding that quality takes care and attention, and we actively empower our team to take the time they need to deliver rather than pushing for arbitrary speed. This proactive approach allows us to consistently resist the urge to crunch, meaning the Lo-Fi crew can maintain a healthier, more sustainable pace.

Useful links & resources

This year we’ve disseminated resources in a veritable smorgasbord of formats and opened up space for that most elusive of workplace phenomena: honest conversation. That’s included everything from self-compassion and boundaries, to stress reduction and why it’s okay to fess up when you mess up.

We brought the oxygen mask metaphor into discussion; a simple reminder that you’ve got to take care of yourself before you can really support anyone else. Beyond that, we’ve also pointed our team to this brutally honest video on avoiding burnout in game dev (honestly, give it a watch).

We’ve also looked at the logistical side: This time management guide from Impact Factory outlines how practical habits can cut through the chaos and keep things relatively calm. We shared Simon Sinek’s talk on psychological safety which reminds us why people need to feel safe to speak up, take risks, and admit failure without fear of being demoted or fired.

And for anyone teetering on the brink of overt overwhelm, this anxiety-busting journaling guide is well worth a look. Honestly, even if you hate the idea of journaling, sometimes dumping your brain on a page can really help.

If sailing straight into the seas of self-compassion sounds suspiciously saccharine, it’s worth starting with Kristin Neff’s excellent talk on the science behind it to help muster some motivation: the TL;DR is that constantly beating yourself up isn’t the productivity hack society once thought it was, but we’d recommend watching the whole thing.

Finally, to keep things grounded in reality, check out this piece on the physiological effects of crunch, because ignoring the toll this stuff can have doesn’t do anyone any favours.

Practical tools and benefits

While sharing videos and swapping links is useful stuff, we’re also backing this value up with practical support tools and staff benefits:

• Spill: A mental health support app offering confidential access to qualified therapists. Our staff can get one-off advice, book 1:1s, or just get things off their chest
• WPA Healthcare: UK-based staff with WPA private healthcare can access therapy, counselling, and in-patient mental health care through the app with no awkward GP gatekeeping
• Hybrid or remote working: Our staff can work from the office, a hybrid mix, or fully remote
• Flexible core hours: We ask that everyone’s online between 12 pm to 4 pm GMT, while the rest of our staff’s schedule can be arranged to suit individual lives
• Duvet days: Our crew can take up to two paid mental-health days each year, no explanation required, because sometimes you just can’t

What’s next?

As with all our values, this is a work in progress. We don’t think you ever really “finish” looking after people, that’s kind of the point. But we’re committing to keep it up, to keep listening and improving, and to keep making Lo-Fi Games a place where people can create excellent work without quietly breaking apart in the background.

To keep us honest and informed, we’ve partnered with the industry-specific charity Safe In Our World. They help keep mental health firmly on our radar and ensure we’re clued up on any new research, tools, and events. We’d humbly recommend checking them out if you happen to be a games company or, indeed, a player.

Our aim at Lo-Fi Games is to make memorable masterpieces without making our minds melt. A well-rested, respected team, it turns out, creates outstanding work.