Would you hire a Charles, or would you hire a CharlesPrime who does exactly the same thing as Charles minus all the time spent playing space invaders at work?
But Charles wasn't just wasting his time, he was thinking about the problem while playing games! At least that's my interpretation.
I've learnt that I concentrate wonderfully and solve problems while walking. I know other people see just a guy walking in an absent-minded way, but I'm working!
For me Charles and CharlesPrime are exactly the same example, they just do the same thing in different ways. If it isn't Space Invaders then it will be another thing, they both need time to think. Otherwise you are hiring code monkeys.
Again, we'll just leave it as is, because I still think you have the definition of "lazy" wrong. A lazy person doesn't play Space Invaders to think, he plays Space Invaders to avoid working (as per the definition of "lazy").
What if playtime is essential to creativity and developing models? Aren't children encouraged to play in different ways for this very reason?
Honestly, I've been Charles before, and no one cared because the work was done well and on time. I was still responsive to my coworkers, but there were definitely periods where people understood I was recharging my "psychic energy" or whatever they thought made the magic happen.
