Microsoft has added a new app called Games for Work to Teams, allowing users to play casual multi-player games together.

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 developing the game is to help co-workers “pause and re-energise” in a virtual office setting, according to the report.

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With Solitaire, players will compete against each other to finish first, while with Minesweeper, players will work together to clear the board and each player will have a few lives.

However, Wordament is a word game. There will be a leaderboard where players can see how they fare compared with their co-workers.

In IceBreakers, players answer questions about particular topics and perhaps learn more about their colleagues in the process, said the report.

To develop Games for Work, Team Members worked with Microsoft Casual Games, an Xbox Game Studios division.

The company cites data that indicates teams that play 45-minute games together are 20 per cent more productive than those that do other types of team building.

“Research shows that gaming promotes cognitive benefits, helps foster empathy and encourages inclusion, team building and learning,” it said.

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