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cooperative

koh-OP-ruh-tiv /koʊˈɒp.ər.ə.tɪv/

adjectivenounB1TOEFLIELTS

generaltechnical

A game mode or design where players work together as a team against computer-controlled opponents, rather than competing against each other.

Often abbreviated as 'co-op', this term emphasizes shared victory conditions and mutual assistance over individual competition.

The story behind the word. From the Latin 'cooperari', meaning 'to work together'. It entered English in the 17th century to describe joint physical labor and was later adopted by game designers to describe games where players must coordinate their labor to win.

Word relationships

collaborative: Collaborative is used in broader professional and creative contexts, while cooperative (or co-op) is the standard term in gaming.

competitive: Competitive play pits players against other human players to determine a winner and a loser.

Commonly confused with

multiplayer: Multiplayer is an umbrella term for any game with more than one player, whereas cooperative specifically means players are on the same team against the game.

Word family

cooperation (noun): The act of working together.
cooperate (verb): To work together toward a common end.

Collocations

cooperative play
co-op mode
cooperative campaign
couch co-op

Example sentences

"The cooperative principle is a basic rule of conversation, where participants work together to be understood." An analysis of social interaction and language. (H.P. Grice, Logic and Conversation)
"Instead of fighting each other, players must work in a cooperative mode to defeat the invading alien forces." Describing a multiplayer game mode.

Memory hook

Co-operative means 'Co-operating'—operating together as a single unit. Co-op means working as one.

When not to use

Do not use to describe team-versus-team games (like traditional sports or tactical shooters), where the ultimate goal is still to defeat other human players.

Fun facts

The term 'couch co-op' refers to players sitting on the same physical sofa, playing on a single screen—a nostalgic style of play that modern online gaming has largely replaced.