ELICITING AND EVALUATING TEAMWORK WITHIN A MULTI-PLAYER GAME-BASED TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

Modern multi-player computer games (or multi-player games) show great potential for enabling distributed training of a variety of skills, including effective teamwork, in a variety of simulated environments. We explored the utility of a fantasy-based multi-player game for training teamwork skills. Forty members of the United States Army Infantry participated in the study. The lessons learned indicate that multi-player game-based training systems can elicit teamwork behaviors and provide a viable environment in which those behaviors may be practiced and improved. Our methodology, design, exercise, and results are discussed.

[1]  E. Salas,et al.  Team decision making in complex environments. , 1993 .

[2]  K. Smith-Jentsch,et al.  Team dimensional training: A strategy for guided team self-correction. , 1998 .

[3]  J. G. Hollands,et al.  Engineering Psychology and Human Performance , 1984 .

[4]  D. Gentner,et al.  The analogical mind : perspectives from cognitive science , 2001 .

[5]  Stephanie C Payne,et al.  Measuring team-related expertise in complex environments. , 1998 .

[6]  Dana E. Sims,et al.  Is there a “Big Five” in Teamwork? , 2005 .

[7]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  Team Effectiveness and Decision Making in Organizations , 1995 .

[8]  Mel Slater,et al.  A Virtual Presence Counter , 2000, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[9]  K. Young.  Internet Addiction , 2004 .

[10]  Curtis J. Bonk,et al.  Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming: A Research Framework for Military Training and Education , 2005 .

[11]  Talib S. Hussain,et al.  Assessing Distributed Team Performance in DARWARS Training: Challenges and Methods , 2004 .

[12]  K Moorthy,et al.  Simulation based training , 2005, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[13]  Espen Nystad,et al.  Using virtual reality technology to include field operators in simulation and training. , 2006 .

[14]  E. Salas,et al.  The science of training: a decade of progress. , 2001, Annual review of psychology.

[15]  Daniel R. Ilgen,et al.  Accuracy decomposition and team decision making: Testing theoretical boundary conditions. , 1998 .

[16]  Jennifer J. Salopek.  Stop Playing Games. , 1999 .

[17]  G. Klein,et al.  Decision Making in Action: Models and Methods , 1993 .

[18]  Talib S. Hussain,et al.  The Use of Massive Multi-Player Gaming Technology for Military Training: A Preliminary Evaluation , 2005 .

[19]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  Making decisions under stress: Implications for individual and team training. , 1998 .

[20]  Elliot E. Entin,et al.  Team coordination training. , 1998 .

[21]  Michael J. Singer,et al.  Measuring Presence in Virtual Environments: A Presence Questionnaire , 1998, Presence.