Microsoft has added a new “Games for Work” app to its Teams collaboration tool, which will allow users to play casual multiplayer games together. Up to 250 people can play Microsoft Solitaire, Minesweeper, IceBreakers and Wordament with each other.
Of course, Solitaire and Minesweeper are classic Windows games. In Solitaire, players will go head to head in a tournament for first place. In Minesweeper, they will team up to clear the grid, each with a few lives, and need to prevent triggering mines.
Wordament is a word game that supports leaderboards where users can see how their performance compares to that of their colleagues. iceBreakers does what it says – users will answer questions about certain topics and maybe find out more about their colleagues.
Microsoft Teams members are working with Microsoft Casual Games, a division of Xbox Game Studios, to develop work-based games. According to Microsoft, the idea is to help colleagues “pause and re-energize” in a virtual office environment, and Microsoft cites data showing that teams that play games together for 45 minutes are 20 percent more productive than those who choose other types of team-building activities. Microsoft added: “Research shows that gaming can promote cognitive benefits that help foster empathy and encourage inclusion, team building and learning.”
