Evaluating the Consistency of Cooperative Video Games in Inducing Teamwork Behaviors

Abstract

Teamwork assessment requires research environments that replicate the task complexity and induce challenges and uncertainty. Gamified environments are gaining attention as suitable environments for teamwork assessment, where teaming behaviors can be quantified. However, further research is needed to establish the relationship between gaming mechanics and teaming competencies. This work aims to assess the consistency of video games in inducing teaming behaviors. Five video games were analyzed through coding behaviors and cooperative features from gameplay streams. Results show that the selected games induce similar behavioral profiles of percentages of teaming competencies. These games have similar design characteristics, including performance environments and game loops. Design suggestions reflect potential associations between the analyzed game mechanics and the resulting behavioral profiles. The resulting teamwork profiles can be targeted through the simulation cooperative genre, therefore providing a design tool for teamwork testbed designers to induce teamwork distributions of interest.