I wouldn’t say party culture - it is what you make of it! You’re normally at work for a significant portion of your day. Something like a table tennis table can help to break up the day and is just a bit of fun. For example, we had a table tennis tournament at work, which people got really into - it was fun and people bonded over it. I’d take that over working somewhere where you don’t even know your colleagues.
This was at a tech company where culture was a big part of why almost everyone worked there. Definitely wasn’t a party culture, but it was collaborative, where people worked closely together. There was never an expectation to work outside of working hours, or to do anything social - it was purely optional.
Obviously pay is a big factor, but it isn’t everything. I’m lucky enough to be in a sector where I can afford to get paid less and have a better work (definitely not party!) culture and work-life balance.
Not sure if you get it in the US the same as in the UK, but I find that even just squash is good with carbonated water, e.g. orange squash. Cheaper than syrups and it tastes good with still water too!