Why You Should Play Video Games with Your Co-Workers

Level Up Your Team Spirit with Digital Play

Hey Managers, gather ’round. No, we’re not going to talk spreadsheets or productivity charts. Today, we’re talking about something that might surprise you: video games.

Yes, you heard it right. We’re not playing around. Except, actually, we are. And you should be too, especially if you care about your team’s well-being, creativity and the way people work together.

A few years ago, “let’s play a game together” meant consoles, installs and someone’s cousin setting up a server. In 2026 it means one link in the chat. Everyone clicks, the game opens in the browser, and each person plays on their own screen. No downloads, no gaming PC, no accounts to sort out first.

So, ready to press ‘Start’?

Team Building: The Video Game Edition

Let’s face it: a lot of teams now meet mostly on video calls, and finding something to do together that isn’t another meeting is a real challenge. Enter video games, the underestimated superhero of team cohesion.

The first thing to consider is that video games are downright fun. And if you think fun is the opposite of work, it’s time for a small rethink. According to a study by Brigham Young University, teams that played video games together for just 45 minutes were 20 percent more productive than those that engaged in traditional team-building activities. One study is not the final word, but it is a nice excuse to let your team game on.

The kind of game matters. Pick co-op games, where the whole team wins or loses together. Nobody gets knocked out in round one, nobody ends up on the losing side of a scoreboard, and the only enemy is the puzzle (or the bomb, or the haunted house).

The Power-ups of Workplace Gaming

Boosting Communication

Good co-op games need coordination, timing and a shared plan. No room for passive-aggressive emails here. Teams talk in real time to solve a puzzle or beat a common enemy.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is the classic example. One player sees the bomb. Everyone else holds the manual. Nobody can defuse it alone, so the whole group has to describe, listen and double-check, fast.

Problem-Solving in a New Arena

From mazes to bosses to quests, video games are full of problems that need solving. Working through a digital labyrinth with your co-workers is good practice for working through the messier real-life kind.

Try Holloway, our free co-op 3D labyrinth for 2–10 players. The house is bigger on the inside. Your team has to find the sigils, seal the door and get out together. A run takes about 15 minutes, so it fits in a lunch break.

Role-playing for Corporate Synergy

Ever played an RPG (Role-Playing Game)? Each player takes a role and brings their own skills to a shared goal. Much like a company, where you’ve got the planner, the doer, the motivator and the multitasker, all combining their powers for the common good.

Enhancing Team Morale

Win or lose, video games are a great equalizer. The intern can be the hero of the round and the CEO can be the one who cuts the wrong wire. You celebrate the wins together and laugh about the losses, and that builds trust and friendships along the way.

Individual Gains: Not Just Team Bonuses

Who says it’s all for the team? There are individual rewards too. Games can sharpen skills like spatial reasoning (thanks, Tetris), planning and strategic thinking. Video games are a playground, and sometimes a practice ground as well.

What Does the Research Say?

There is real research here, though it is more modest than the headlines. A few findings worth knowing:

• Puzzle games can beat brain-training apps. In one study, people who played Portal 2, a 3D puzzle game, improved more on problem-solving, spatial skills and persistence than people who played the brain-training app Lumosity (Shute, Ventura & Ke, 2014).
• Transfer is specific. Games tend to improve the skills they make you practise over and over. A game built around one kind of thinking trains that kind of thinking, not “intelligence” in general (Flores-Gallegos & Mayer, 2022).
• Games have become social. Much of today’s gaming happens together, online, with voice chat. That makes games a natural place to practise talking, planning and working things out as a group.

The practical takeaway: if you want a game night to feel useful as well as fun, choose games that give quick feedback, get harder as you go and make players rely on each other. And keep it balanced. A game break is a break, not a replacement for sleep or lunch.

The Real-life ‘Cheat Code’ for Productivity

Ever notice that after lunch, energy dips and attention wanders? A short game break could be the fix. A 15-minute round gets people talking, laughing and awake again, and the afternoon slump gets a lot shorter.

What If I Don’t Know My Fortnite from My Minecraft?

You don’t need to be a gamer to bring games into your team culture. Ask your team what they enjoy and pick games that everyone can join. Browser games make this much easier: if someone can open a link, they can play. Look for games with simple controls, clear goals and a short first round, so the non-gamers are hooked before they have time to feel lost.

Not sure where to start? Browse our co-op games or pick from our free online games.

Concluding Quest

With so many teams spread across cities and time zones, video games offer a mix of fun and connection that is hard to get from another meeting. They’re quick to set up, they give everyone something to talk about, and the good ones are games you win together.

So, what are you waiting for? Send the link, press start and see what your team can do.

Game On!

References

1. Flores-Gallegos, R., & Mayer, R.E. (2022). Learning Cognitive Skills by Playing Video Games at Home: Testing the Specific Transfer of General Skills Theory.
2. Shute, V.J., Ventura, M., & Ke, F. (2014). The power of play: The effects of Portal 2 and Lumosity on cognitive and noncognitive skills.