Help Pick A Group Work Appropriate Game
September 2, 2014 7:17 AM Subscribe
I work from home. Most of the people I work with also work from home. We're scattered around the US. Once a year we all (80 people) fly in to HQ for a few days of face to face meetings. My boss wanted to have some kind of game we can all play while we're there. I can not come up with any ideas, and I'm hoping someone can recommend a good game for this.
This game could be phone/app, or computer, but it seems like a physical game, like a board game or something, would be the most fun. It must be asynchronous. That is, we need to be able to play it for a few minutes at a time between meetings, then come back to it later and play for a few minutes. The idea is it will help amuse us during breaks. We'd be able to keep score or have a way to declare a winner at the end of our time in the office. So we'd play some game and do SOMETHING to acquire points, or build something, or solve a mystery, or... well, just about anything. I was thinking puzzles or trivia, or scavenger hunt, but I can't figure out how that would work with a large group over 3 days. We'd have a room available to devote to it if needed, or computers. Most people would have a phone. Ideas?
This game could be phone/app, or computer, but it seems like a physical game, like a board game or something, would be the most fun. It must be asynchronous. That is, we need to be able to play it for a few minutes at a time between meetings, then come back to it later and play for a few minutes. The idea is it will help amuse us during breaks. We'd be able to keep score or have a way to declare a winner at the end of our time in the office. So we'd play some game and do SOMETHING to acquire points, or build something, or solve a mystery, or... well, just about anything. I was thinking puzzles or trivia, or scavenger hunt, but I can't figure out how that would work with a large group over 3 days. We'd have a room available to devote to it if needed, or computers. Most people would have a phone. Ideas?
Spaceteam! It's a phone game, but not in the way you are thinking. I think with some of the newer updates you can create a tournament mode, with multiple small groups playing the same game competitive with one another.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:28 AM on September 2, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 7:28 AM on September 2, 2014 [4 favorites]
Why not this... http://marshmallowchallenge.com
posted by jazh at 7:32 AM on September 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jazh at 7:32 AM on September 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
One of my favorites from drama class when I was a kid (one which I think would also be amusing enough for adults) is Psychiatrist.
-Everyone sits in a circle and one person is selected to be the psychiatrist and leaves the room.
-The group decides what their shared delusion is going to be. This will be things like "I believe I am the person sitting to my right" or "I believe I am the psychiatrist" or "I believe I am Daniel Radcliffe" etc.
-Psychiatrist re-enters and has to diagnose what the secret is by asking everyone in the group questions.
-If someone answers a question incorrectly (by accident or maybe they're lying), everyone in the group shouts "psychiatrist!" and swaps seats. The questioning resumes.
posted by phunniemee at 7:39 AM on September 2, 2014
-Everyone sits in a circle and one person is selected to be the psychiatrist and leaves the room.
-The group decides what their shared delusion is going to be. This will be things like "I believe I am the person sitting to my right" or "I believe I am the psychiatrist" or "I believe I am Daniel Radcliffe" etc.
-Psychiatrist re-enters and has to diagnose what the secret is by asking everyone in the group questions.
-If someone answers a question incorrectly (by accident or maybe they're lying), everyone in the group shouts "psychiatrist!" and swaps seats. The questioning resumes.
posted by phunniemee at 7:39 AM on September 2, 2014
Broken Picture Telephone!
Get a couple of unlined notebooks. You write a phrase like "Superman leaps tall buildings in a single bound!" and the next person turns the page and draws it. Then the next person turns the page and writes what they think the drawing it. ("A guy in a cape is impaled on a skyscraper.") Then the next person turns the page and draws the cape/skyscraper thing. Etc. (Use a paperclip to clip back the already done pages so each person just looks at the last page and their own blank page.) It is extremely hilarious, easy to do in short bursts of time over a longer time period, and makes a nice memento. (As for points ... well, you could award a best-drawing, I suppose!) You could pick phrases loosely related to your work.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:39 AM on September 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
Get a couple of unlined notebooks. You write a phrase like "Superman leaps tall buildings in a single bound!" and the next person turns the page and draws it. Then the next person turns the page and writes what they think the drawing it. ("A guy in a cape is impaled on a skyscraper.") Then the next person turns the page and draws the cape/skyscraper thing. Etc. (Use a paperclip to clip back the already done pages so each person just looks at the last page and their own blank page.) It is extremely hilarious, easy to do in short bursts of time over a longer time period, and makes a nice memento. (As for points ... well, you could award a best-drawing, I suppose!) You could pick phrases loosely related to your work.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:39 AM on September 2, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yes to Spaceteam - not asynchronous but it only lasts 5 minutes. It's brilliant fun.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:57 AM on September 2, 2014
posted by EndsOfInvention at 8:57 AM on September 2, 2014
There's always "People Bingo"... You can find pre-made cards with a quick google search, but it's even better if you can fill them with stereotypes and jokes from your group. Your choice of if they just need to write the name of the person or have the person sign.
posted by anaelith at 4:54 AM on September 4, 2014
posted by anaelith at 4:54 AM on September 4, 2014
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(Party game: each person is on one of two teams, you split into two groups in separate rooms, and every few minutes exchange one person with the other room.)
posted by katrielalex at 7:27 AM on September 2, 2014 [3 favorites]