The last few years have seen an upsurge in companies sending their employees to work remotely from home. While it may have been necessary due to the pandemic, there has been a rise in technology and software to assist in making the change more successful.
One of the many issues that has arisen is the drop in communication, where many team members have to deal with miscommunication or feel distant and disengaged from their workplace. They sometimes misunderstand each other, which affects the work and remaining focused on the goals. Fortunately, there’s a way you can help them bridge that gap in the form of a murder mystery team building game.
What is a murder mystery game?
In essence, a murder mystery game is where teams work together to solve a homicide crime. Everyone has a role, but one of them is the actual murderer. There are several clues they’ll have to solve to uncover which one of them it is, which is why communication is key.
Usually, when played face-to-face, people meet at a physical location with a group of up to eight. There is also a limit to the number of people who can play, as there are a limited number of characters. When you play the murder mystery game online, you don’t have this limit. We have a maximum group size of 1000 players, with this group broken up into smaller groups of up to 10 team members since there’s greater capacity for more members.
How does it work virtually?
The murder mystery online version is slightly different to the in-person team-building approach. You’ll need to connect everyone to a communication platform, such as Zoom, Skype or Microsoft Teams. As the host, you’ll send the invite to everyone for the meeting, ensuring that they’re all available for the scheduled time.
Once everyone has characters assigned, the host explains how the murder mystery team building game will work online. Over three distinct rounds, your team will assume the personalities of their characters, as well as look for clues of who the murder is. In the third, and final, round, they will try to determine and accuse the person they believe is the murderer. When it begins, members can move to breakaway rooms on the chat platform to try and solve the mystery. You can all agree to have dinner as part of the event, while members can dress for the part if they wish.
How does it help to improve communication?
When your team plays the murder mystery game online, the only way they can solve the clues is by communicating. They’ll find innovative ways to decipher what’s happening, which will then encourage them to deal with tasks and problems with work in the same way. It’s also a fun way to take their minds off the stress of working remotely, and you might find they’ll work more closely together in the weeks that follow.
How does it help to improve problem-solving skills?
At its core, the murder mystery online game requires your team to solve a critical problem: who murdered the victim. They may not realise it during the event, but it’s helping them develop skills they can take into the workplace. While they won’t be working through a killing when it comes to corporate tasks, they can use similar methodologies with new inspiration and motivation to tackle daily goals.
Choose Making Teams to create stronger teams
If you’ve never hosted a murder mystery team building game before, we understand that it may feel intimidating doing so, especially as an employer. Fortunately, Making Teams can assist you by facilitating it on your behalf. We’ll also ensure that everyone receives the materials they need to play it online.
Should you decide that using murder as a theme isn’t the way to go, you can check out any of our other online virtual games. Feel free to contact us if you’re looking for any advice.