How co-op games can level up your life
The kitchen timer is ticking down too fast. Pans are clattering, vegetables are flying, and someone’s shouting that the soup is burning. No, this isn’t a real-life kitchen nightmare, but a virtual game that thousands of people have chosen to put themselves in—for fun.
The game described above, Overcooked, is one of my favorite games to play with new friends because its demand for quick communication and fast-paced cooperation reveals how people act in high-pressure situations.
But first, what is a cooperative, or “co-op,” game? In co-op games, players coordinate their actions to achieve a shared objective.1 You may have heard of popular games, Overcooked or It Takes Two, but there are hundreds of co-op games that engage a wide array of soft skills. As a lover of these games myself, I am a staunch advocate that there is one out there to satisfy the preferences of every duo. These games can be broadly categorized by the level of dependence between players and the level of stress (in my opinion) that accompanies each game.
But why should we care about these games beyond the fact that they’re fun? Co-op games build soft skills like teamwork,2 and these benefits carry over into everyday life.3 This knock-on effect is especially valuable in schools and workplaces, where role-playing in games provides a safe way to practice real-world behaviors.2
References
- Zagal, J. P., & Bruckman, A. (2008). Cooperative games: Supporting collaboration in multiplayer games. Proceedings of the 2008 ACM Conference on Future Play (pp. 146–153). https://doi.org/10.1145/1496984.1497007
- Katsantonis, M. N. (2025). From Pandemic Legacy to serious games: A systematic review of cooperative board games under the educational perspective. European Journal of Education, 60(1), Article e70048. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70048
- Gunningham, N., & Sinclair, D. (2002). Leaders and laggards: Next-generation environmental regulation. Greenleaf Publishing
- Bryck, R. L., & Fisher, P. A. (2012). Training the brain: Practical applications of neural plasticity from the intersection of neuroscience, developmental psychology, and prevention science. American Psychologist, 67(2), 87–100. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024654
- Veldman, M. A., Doolaard, S., Bosker, R. J., & Snijders, T. A. B. (2020). Young children working together: Cooperative learning effects on group work of children in Grade 1 of primary education. Learning and Instruction, 67, Article 101308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101308
- Jakavonytė‑Staškuvienė, D., & Bernotienė, R. (2025). Learning through cooperation in the activities of 1st‑grade pupils (7 years old) using the lesson study methodology: The case of one Lithuanian school. Education Sciences, 15(10), Article 1303. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15101303
- Zhang, Q., Ruan, J., & Xiong, D. (2025). Differential effects of exposure to cooperative versus competitive games on sharing behavior in young children. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, Article 1545932. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.154593
- Van Ryzin, M. J., & Roseth, C. J. (2018). Cooperative learning in middle school: A means to improve peer relations and reduce victimization, bullying, and related outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(8), 1192–1201. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000265
- Hanghøj, T., Lieberoth, A., & Misfeldt, M. (2018). Can cooperative video games encourage social and motivational inclusion of at-risk students? British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(4), 775–799. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12642
- da Silva Júnior, J. N., de Lima Castro, G., Silveira Jucá, R. C., Nunes, F. M., Nobre, D. J., Leite Jr., A. J., … Monteiro, A. J. (2024). Vikings: An online cooperative game for reviewing thermochemistry, chemical equilibrium, and chemical kinetics. Journal of Chemical Education, 101(6), 2413–2421. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c01310
- Crucho, C. I. C., Gomes, M. J. S., & Avó, J. (2025). A role‑playing tabletop game on laboratory techniques and chemical reactivity: A game‑based learning approach to organic chemistry education. Chemistry Teacher International, (issue), Article 0063. https://doi.org/10.1515/cti‑2025‑0063
- Keith, M. J., Dean, D. L., Gaskin, J., & Anderson, G. (2021). Team building through team video games: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR Serious Games, 9(4), e28896. https://doi.org/10.2196/28896
- Keith, M. J., Anderson, G., Gaskin, J., & Dean, D. L. (2018). Team video gaming for team building: Effects on team performance. AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, 10(4), 205–231. https://doi.org/10.17705/1thci.00110
- Xanthopoulou, D., & Papagiannidis, S. (2012). Play online, work better? Examining the spillover of active learning and transformational leadership. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 79(7), 1328–1339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2012.03.006
- Caillois, R. (1961). Man, play, and games (M. Barash, Trans.). University of Illinois Press. (Original work published 1958)
About the Author
Anna Moskow
Anna Moskow is a Consultant at The Decision Lab with a passion for behavioral science and health. She previously worked as a researcher with the European Institute for Innovation and Technology, focusing on improving food systems for the benefit of human, animal, and planetary health. Anna is interested in utilizing behavioral tools and data science to advance both local projects and broader public policy. She has a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from Columbia University and a Master's degree in Global Health Policy from the University of Edinburgh.
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