Rocket League: The Surprising Team Building Game L&D Professionals Need
- Justin Matheson
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 20
Have you ever watched a colleague completely lose their cool during a "simple" project meeting? That meltdown probably had nothing to do with the project itself. It might have had a lot to do with communication breaking down under pressure, role confusion, and the dreaded "someone else will handle it" mentality.
Now imagine if your team members could practice handling those exact dynamics in a consequence-free environment where failure actually feels fun. That's exactly what happens when you put controllers in their hands and drop them into Rocket League which is a game that looks like "car soccer" but demands the kind of real-time collaboration that makes or breaks workplace teams.
Rocket League appears simple: drive fast, hit ball, score goal, win game. But if you spend five minutes watching a new team fumble around the field, you'll witness every communication breakdown, role conflict, and coordination challenge that plagues modern workplaces. The difference? Here, those failures can lead to lost points and missed shots instead of missed deadlines and frustrated stakeholders.
Rocket League Fundamentals
Developed by Psyonix and released in July 2015, Rocket League has evolved from indie darling to esports phenomenon, drawing an estimated 90-100 million monthly active players across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Players boost, jump, and flip through three-dimensional space while coordinating split-second decisions with teammates. Success requires constant communication, spatial awareness, and the ability to adapt roles instantly as the ball bounces around the arena.
Learning Potential: Why Rocket League Works for Skill Development
Communication Under Pressure
As with most of the games I use, Rocket League creates authentic situations that mirror workplace issues without real-world consequences. Teams quickly discover that silent teams lose games, just like silent team members derail projects. The game's matches compress entire project cycles into digestible chunks where communication failures have immediate, visible consequences.
Players will naturally develop shorthand calls ("I got it!" "Defending!" "Pass!") that mirror effective workplace communication patterns. The difference between a team that talks and one that doesn't is instantly obvious in-game, creating powerful "aha!" moments about communication's direct impact on results.
Team Roles & Adaptability
Traditional soccer has fixed positions like goalkeeper, defenders, forwards. Rocket League demolishes those rigid structures. Every player must be ready to switch from offense to defense in seconds, often mid-flight. This constant role fluidity mimics most modern workplace demands where project roles shift rapidly and team members must adapt and change direction while still maintaining that crucial communication.
The game punishes rigid thinking. Teams that assign permanent roles ("You're always goalkeeper") get crushed by teams that flow between responsibilities based on game state. It's a perfect metaphor for agile workplace environments where success depends on reading situations and adapting accordingly, not sticking to outdated job descriptions.
Fail Forward & Feedback
Rocket League's failure mechanics are brilliant for learning facilitators. Spectacular crashes, missed saves, and accidental own-goals happen constantly. With the right facilitation, the game creates a psychologically safe environment where failure generates laughter instead of blame, building resilience, teamwork, and encouraging risk-taking. This is why facilitation is crucial because without the right amount of reflection, those missed goals can cause unnecessary frustration and resentment.
Each match provides instant feedback loops. Bad positioning leads to easy goals for opponents. Poor communication creates chaos. Selfish play results in missed opportunities. But here's the beauty, if you try something and fail, the next match starts in 30 seconds, giving teams immediate opportunities to reflect and apply lessons learned. This rapid iteration cycle mirrors most workplace feedback systems but compresses learning that might take weeks into minutes or seconds.
Workshop Blueprint: Rocket League in Action
Setup Requirements: Gaming console or PC, Rocket League (download), 2-4 controllers, large display screen, 2-3 hours total session time
Learning Objectives:
Practice clear, concise communication under time pressure
Experience role flexibility and situational leadership
Build resilience through low-stakes failure and rapid iteration
Practice positive communication after failures
Session Structure (Based on Proven After-School Program Results):
Controls Mastery (30-45 minutes): Let participants learn game mechanics naturally without pressure—comfort with tools comes first
It is important to note here that the basics of Rocket League are easy enough, but the skill expectations escalate very quickly. For new players (or people completely new to video games), the focus should be on driving and moving the camera to see the ball.
Baseline Challenge (20 minutes): Participants vs. participants with minimal communication coaching
Communication Technique Introduction (15 minutes): Teach specific verbal coordination strategies
The Transformation Round (20 minutes): Same teams, but participants now apply communication techniques
Advanced Play & Debrief (30 minutes): Let participants experience their newfound coordination advantage
Real-World Results: In our after-school program with three middle-years students who had never touched Rocket League, the power of communication became immediately visible. Two facilitators consistently beat the three students until we introduced explicit communication techniques. The very first game where they applied their communication strategies? The students won. After that breakthrough moment, the facilitators weren’t able to win nearly as easily or as often.
Implementation Tips for Trainers
Try this: Start with private matches to control the learning environment. Public online play introduces toxic behavior that derails learning objectives—save that for advanced sessions about handling difficult personalities.
Try this: Use the replay system as a coaching tool. Rocket League saves every match, letting teams review their coordination patterns and communication gaps in slow motion. It's like having game film for your workplace dynamics.
Try this: Create custom tournaments with specific constraints: "Communication only through quick-chat options" or "Every player must touch the ball before shooting." These artificial limitations force teams to develop creative collaboration strategies.
Accessibility note: The game includes colorblind-friendly options and customizable controls. For participants uncomfortable with fast-paced gameplay, consider spectator roles where they analyze team communication patterns and provide feedback.
Level Up Your Training with Rocket League
Here's the hard truth about most team-building exercises: they feel fake because they are fake. Trust falls and rope courses don't mirror the rapid-fire decision making and communication demands of modern workplaces. Rocket League does. The pressure is real, the teamwork is essential, and the feedback is immediate. Teams can't fake their way through a match—coordination either works or it doesn't, and the scoreboard tells the whole story.
The beauty of using commercial games for learning isn't just their engagement factor, it's their authenticity. These games weren't designed to teach soft skills, which means the skills your team develops feel genuine rather than contrived.
Follow Rift's monthly game breakdowns for more hands-on learning tools that turn popular games into powerful professional development experiences.
JM