Online Gaming, Group Think, and Transactive Memory

Group think is a type of thought that develops from groups of people thinking and working together towards a resolution. The end result of group think is a consensus reached with as little conflict as possible. The fault with this type of thought is that for the sake of avoiding conflict, the group forsakes critical testing, proper analysis, and consideration of alternative options. Group pressure causes individual members to suppress dissenting opinions. Hence, the consensus reached is generally hasty and irrational, and does not maximize the knowledge of each individual in the group. In terms of online gaming, group think comes into play in strategy games like World of Warcraft where a group works together toward a common goal. Members feel compelled to go along with the group's plan though they might feel a different approach would work better or know something the other group members do not. Hence it can decrease a group's chance of success in the game and leave players feeling frustrated.

Transactive memory theory presents the idea that individuals can serve as external memory aids to each other. That is to say that information one could not recall working individually could be recalled if that person was working with a group of people. Since each person brings his or her own knowledge and expertise to the group, the group's collective knowledge increases. The goal with transactive memory is to enable the group to reach a higher level of performance than they could have without the contribution of the other group members. It relies on the members to have a good understanding of what each member knows and brings to the group. For online gaming, transactive memory can be very helpful. Each member can aid the group to be more successful by combining his or her own knowledge of the game with the knowledge of the other people in the group. Working together allows them to accomplish more and learn more because the responsibility and knowledge is spread out among the group. In order for transactive memory to be effective and not become group think, there must be a cooperative environment, familiarity between members of the group, and a non-hierarchical structure so that each member can contribute openly and honestly.