Nowadays, we are becoming more aware of the importance of taking care of our mental health, which is greatly affected by our daily activities that tend to generate stress. Among the most stressful activities is work. To decrease stress levels is relevant, it is suggested to find, whenever possible, time for employees to relax and be calm (1).
A good way to achieve this is the group dynamics of integration, in which, various recreational activities can be done, among them, playing games. It is known that recreation and leisure are beneficial and essential for the maintenance of good working relationships, concentration, health and general well-being (2). Considering this and the growth of remote work, we present the best virtual games for remote teams.
Summary
- Virtual games are a great way to relieve work stress and foster the development of good working relationships. If included in workplace recreation programs, they can reduce anger, for example (3). In addition, they provide benefits such as maintaining worker productivity, lowering health costs, and more (4). Failure to do so could negatively affect the physical and mental health of the worker and, consequently, the organization (5).
- It is important that you choose a video game with a good interface, that it does not exceed the economic capacity of your organization, in case it is paid, and the number of participants according to the size of your work team. Also, you must take into account the game mode of the one you are going to choose.
- Some of the virtual games on this list do not have the Spanish language available, so you should take into account the level of proficiency of your team members in this language before choosing a game.
The best virtual trivia games
Now that you know the importance of including recreational activities in the schedule of your co-workers, it is time for you to know the best alternatives of virtual games that you have at your disposal to improve your team’s working relationships.
Trivia crack
Trivia crack
This is probably one of the first games that came to your mind, and no wonder, because, since its appearance and popularization on Facebook, this game has been bringing fun to many people for many years. The game presents 6 characters on a wheel. Each of them represents one of the categories of questions, which are as follows:
| Category | Character |
|---|---|
| History | A yellow knight’s helmet |
| Sports | An orange-coloured soccer ball |
| Science | A green test tube |
| Art | A red paint brush |
| Entertainment | A pot full of pink popcorn |
| Geography | A blue globe |
The goal is to get all the characters before the opponent. The first to play must click on the wheel to spin it until it lands in a category, followed by answering a question. In case of a mistake, it will be the opponent’s turn. There is also a crown icon. When the wheel lands on it, the player will be given the option to challenge his opponent or answer a question to choose the next character.
Kahoot!
Kahoot!
This virtual game of is one of the best-known games today, as, in the wake of the pandemic, it began to be used in all kinds of virtual group meetings, especially in virtual classrooms for exams. However, it can also be used for recreational purposes within your work team.
The dynamics are simple, to create a game you have to create an account. There are different types of accounts depending on your occupation. Once you have done this on Kahoot.com you must create the game and enter the questions with their alternatives. The other participants must join by entering the game code on Kahoot.it.
Random Trivia Generator
Random Trivia Generator
This virtual game is located on a website that has a wide variety of categories, from science to arts. You can play together with your team focusing on answering 10 to 20 questions from a single category or answering mixed questions.
The dynamic is as follows, the questions are shown to all players on screen for 30 seconds, which is the time they will have to answer them, and the one who has a greater number of questions well answered will have a higher score. It is worth mentioning that this website does not have a Spanish translation, however, if your team has a moderate command of English, this will not be a problem.
Gartic Phone – Broken Phone
Gartic Phone
Surely, at some point in your life, you have played the game of broken phone, in which you whisper something into the ear of a person and follow this dynamic until you reach the last member of the group player, who will say the phrase aloud and you will see if the message was transmitted correctly. This game follows the same dynamic, but instead of communicating only with words, drawings are also used.
The game starts when one of the players writes a sentence, and the sentences written by all the players are shown randomly to each of the players, who must draw what the person who wrote it meant. This drawing is shown to a new player, who must write what he/she sees in the drawing. When the game is over, the game shows the results, and you can see how the message has been distorted.
League of Quiz
League of Quiz
This virtual game works using a circular board in which you will have to answer a series of questions in 6 categories. It can be played alone and, as it has to be, online with unknown players or with friends.
It is a great alternative since it is free and has no intrusive advertising, which improves the experience. In addition to this, it allows you to create your own questions within the categories included. And, to top it off, it has more game modes, so the possibilities for fun are very wide.
Jackbox Games
Jackbox Games
Jackbox Games includes virtual trivia games. These games are included in packages whose units range from 4 to 7. It is worth mentioning that these packages have a price ranging from 25 dollars. The limit per game is 8 players, however, the audience can be 10000, so it is a good option if you want to integrate a large number of people into your organization.
Among the virtual game options offered by Jackbox are independent virtual team quizzes, for example, Fibbage and Quiplash, which are based on brain-teasers, unlike other virtual games that are structured by categories.
Who wants to be a millionaire?
Who wants to be a millionaire?
This game developed by Sony Pictures Television, whose name was clearly taken from the famous TV show of the same name, is an entertaining and highly challenging alternative for participants. This is because it tries to recreate the complexity of the questions usually asked to the contestants of the original program.
The way of playing is quite simple, 15 questions are asked to the participants, which increases in difficulty as the game develops. In addition, there are three jokers and cold sweats. It can be played from the mobile, either with friends, family or even offline. In addition to this, it has constant updates, especially regarding the questions.
Points to consider
Now that you know the alternatives you have in the market, you may be wondering which of them will be the best or the most convenient for you. Don’t worry, here we answer all your questions so that you can make the best choice for yourself and your team.
What categories can you choose for a good virtual game?
Among the virtual games that we have presented to you, there are lots of game categories. Some of them have general categories that cover several sub-themes. This type of game is a good option for groups with diverse interests.
On the other hand, there are games that have more specific game categories, for example, the sports category. This variant is good in case there are people with similar interests in your work team. Another option is the virtual games with customizable categories or, as we saw in the previous section, those that do not have categories as such, but are much more flexible in terms of the topics to be dealt with.
How to choose a virtual game for groups?
There are different factors to consider when choosing a virtual game for your workgroup. Here are the ones we consider to be the most relevant.
Free or paid
There are virtual games that are excellent, because they have good gameplay, an optimal interface, and the option to play with a large number of people, among other features. However, sometimes these types of virtual games are not free.
In this case, evaluate whether the virtual game you are thinking of implementing in your organization has features that another free virtual game does not have. In addition to this, you have to verify that the cost of the game is not excessively high, nor does it exceed the economic capacity of your organization.
Number of participants
This will depend a lot on the size of your organization. The larger the organization you are in, the more teams there will be and the more numerous they will be.
If you have a large group, it is best to use websites that allow a large number of participants to participate. One of these could be, for example,Jackbox Games. This type of site usually has a scoring system that is based on the number of participants. In other words, the more participants, the better the experience.
If you have a smaller work team, you have options such as Ask Questions, which are very well adapted to this type of group. As they are light games, they can be played on cell phones from anywhere in the world.
Interface
One of the most important aspects when choosing a virtual game is its interface. This is what will allow you and your team to interact with the game, as well as play a crucial role in its user experience.
A good way to know if the interface of the virtual game you use in your organization is good is to check if it has a series of elements. Some of the most important elements are:
- Understandable figures.
- Colours that facilitate the understanding of the game.
- High level of flexibility.
- Easy to use (6).
Now, you know how to evaluate the interface of a virtual game, this will facilitate and optimize the choice you make.
Why should I play a virtual game with my team?
As we mentioned earlier, the levels of stress and job dissatisfaction have increased due to the situation we are experiencing worldwide. This can be corroborated by just doing an internet search.
As we can see, between 2020 and 2021, job dissatisfaction generated by remote work has increased, therefore, it is important to carry out virtual recreational activities that enable employees.
The work performance of employees can benefit from the use of games at work, not only for recreation, but also for training. For example, in the United States, most workers agree that gamification, a playful way of learning, helps to increase productivity.
It should be noted that this information dates from a time before the pandemic, when virtuality was not as developed as it is today. This, coupled with the fact that there are virtual games in which questions can be customized, such as Kahoot! and the fact that virtual interactions are now a part of everyday life, it is a perfect scenario for the implementation of virtual games as a recreational and integration activity within work teams.
Conclusion
In summary, virtual games are a good way to integrate your team members. Remember that interpersonal and group relationships can be a source of stress for your team members (7). Therefore, these games are a great tool to contribute to the improvement of relationships among your team members, which will have a positive impact on your organization.
As you know, regardless of the size of your work team, there are many virtual games that can be adapted to your needs. It’s time to take your organization’s group dynamics to the next level. Go for it!
