Скачать или смотреть Effective Communication in Chaos: Lessons for Communication System Design in Team Play - Evelyn Tan

What do aviation crews and crisis teams have in common with teams in video games? These are ‘swift starting action teams’ — ad hoc teams that usually consist of members who are unfamiliar to each other, but have to quickly and effectively work together almost immediately upon formation. In this presentation, we will unpack what effective communication looks like for real-world swift starting action teams to inspire new ways of thinking about communication system design in games. We will also explore how the design of communication systems, especially if they are strongly performance-focused, influences the social interactions between strangers.

As we know, games are inherently playful environments and the social relationships that are supported through play is a core motivator for many players. Perhaps we may be missing out on opportunities to support social relationships, even the development of new relationships between players who are strangers by having in-game communication systems that focus purely on the performance aspect of team play?

To illustrate the point, I will present some findings from my study on team communication between strangers playing Portal 2. Although unreflective of the chaotic, fast-paced environment that most swift starting action teams face, these teams were under time pressure to complete as many levels as possible. The results from this study gave rise to further questions: ‘What are the ‘traits’ of effective communication for teams, and how might in-game systems adopt to them?’, ‘What are the advantages and disadvantages of developing sophisticated communication systems that largely focus on enabling more efficient teamwork?’, ‘What kind of experience do we want players to have during team play with strangers ー a performance-focused experience or a social experience, and what design decisions move us toward these goals?’.


Evelyn Tan is an Industrial/Organisational Psychologist using digital games to study teams. Her research focuses on team dynamics and the processes the lead to effective and cohesive teams, especially in ad hoc teams of strangers. She is currently doing a PhD with the Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligence Games and Game Intelligence (IGGI) at the University of York, UK.