Microsoft has launched a new app for Teams called Games for Work, which will enable users to play some casual multiplayer games together. Microsoft Solitaire, Microsoft Minesweeper, Microsoft IceBreakers, and Microsoft Wordament may be played by up to 250 individuals at the same time.
Of course, Solitaire and Minesweeper are traditional Windows games. In Solitaire, players will compete to see who can complete first. In Minesweeper, they’ll work together to clear the board, and each player will have a limited number of lives in case they click on a mine.
Wordament is, unsurprisingly, a word game. There is a scoreboard where you may compare your performance to that of your colleagues. IceBreakers offers exactly what it says on the tin: you’ll answer questions about various subjects and perhaps learn a bit more about your coworkers.
On Games for Work, the Teams team collaborated with Microsoft Casual Games, a branch of Xbox Game Studios. According to Microsoft, the goal is to enable employees “stop and re-energize” in a virtual office environment. It cites research that shows that teams who play games together for 45 minutes are 20% more productive than those that choose other sorts of team-building activities. According to the corporation, “research demonstrates that gaming increases cognitive advantages, helps cultivate empathy, and supports inclusivity, team building, and learning.”
Perhaps one day Microsoft will include Xbox Cloud Gaming in Teams. Meanwhile, you’ll be able to clear primitive virtual minefields with coworkers and compete in Solitaire with them. There’s no need to feel left out if you work at a company that uses Google Meet: you can play games like Uno Mobile with your coworkers as well.
