Microsoft has added a new app called Games for Work to the Teams platform, which allows users to play casual multiplayer games together, and according to a report, up to 250 players can play Microsoft Solitaire, Microsoft Minesweeper, Microsoft IceBreakers and Microsoft Wordament with each other.
Microsoft says the idea behind the game’s development is to help colleagues “pause and restart” in a virtual office environment. they’ll work together to clear the board, and each will get their own Player a few lives.
However, Wordament is a play on words. There will be a leaderboard where players can see how well they perform against their peers, and the report says players on IceBreakers answer questions about certain topics and possibly learn more about their peers in the process.
To develop Games for Work, team members worked with Microsoft Casual Games, a division of Xbox Game Studios, and the company cites data indicating that teams who play 45-minute games together are 20 percent more productive than those who do other types of team building. .
“Research shows that games enhance cognitive benefits, help promote empathy, and encourage inclusion, team building, and learning,” the study says.
