Effects of serious games on perceived team cohesiveness in a multi-user virtual environment

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effects of a serious game on perceived team cohesiveness in a multi-user virtual environment. A one-shot case study/post-test only experiment design was used in this study. A questionnaire was administered to the participants, who played the serious game Zoom. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed framework. The results indicated that the overall framework is statistically significant. The user interface elements of the game and the attitudes of the participants towards the game affected perceived team cohesiveness, whilst the personality factor “extraversion” was found to have a moderator effect on these relationships. The study is limited by the sample size, the self-reported survey and the fact that it had only one game play. The proposed framework of the study can be used by educators, researchers and managers working with groups to foster team cohesiveness in their organizations. This study differs from previous studies mainly by the application of a statistical model to observe the effects of multi-user virtual environment serious games on perceived team cohesiveness.