Laser tag! does it really build a team?

I finally played laser tag today. After all these years of wanting to do so. It was a way to celebrate the hard work my staff has done all year. Next week will be our last staff meeting for the year!

Every staff meeting this year we have started with a team builder. My staff is divided into buddy pairs or trios. It's basically a new RA (resident Assistant) paired up with a returning RA. Every meeting, one pair facilitated a team builder or energizer that set the tone for the meeting in some ways. My staff has come together as one close group. They have become friends and are no longer just co-workers.

After all that team building, it was interesting to see their competitive sides tonite at lasertag. Made me wonder why they have corporate packages where companies can go and learn how to build teams. It seemed like more of the opposite was happening today. Multiple coalitions were built, partnerships formed, we were all out to get each other! Telling ourselves all the while that it's all in good fun and humor. The relationships within my staff became very clearly apparent to me. I've always known who likes who, who doesn't, who talks about whom etc. I'm more in tune with my staff than they think I am sometimes. But today more than ever before some things became clearer to me. Both during the game and after.

I've lost my train of thought and if I don't stop I'm gonna continue rambling. I guess I'm just questioning the whole process of team building. Is it really necessary in every scenario? does it really impact the group dynamics of your team? or does it just build a facade?
Whether I figure out the answer or not, the ritual will continue for years to come...and even as I say that, I'm getting ready to teambuild with the 06-07 Apache-Santa Cruz Hall staff tomorrow as they get ready to start another journey in their lives as an undergraduate student! For some, this will be the start to a life filled with team builders:)

Ps: For everyone that has ever asked me what I do, here's a good gist of what a Residence Hall Director does :) Wikipedia has become my new best friend!