It is not, in DC/MD/VA, though there are a lot of boardgamers here (and I am one). I have occasionally worked at jobs here where there was *overlap*. I remember playing Magic:The Gathering with a few geeks in a conference room after work in the late 90's. And at one job over a decade ago, one boss would regularly have teambuilding games (e.g., Robo Rally). But it's not a widespread expectation at IT companies here. The one job I had with mandatory "fun" instead put in your performance review whether you attended their charity marches and "happy hours" and "holiday" parties (raises and bonuses depended on being a "team player").