What games are playable at the workplace?
1. Trash toss
2. Hangman
3. Binder clip tag
4. Charades
5. Silence game
6. Adventure hunt using post-it notes
Working too much can wear you out – regardless if you are working in an office or a coworking space. In the Philippines, most companies love to conduct holiday parties that help the employees relax from all the workload they are dealing with every day. Of course, it’s not the only time to break away from all the stress and mental blocks as you can always start an interesting game whenever you are on break with your colleagues. What are they? Keep on reading!
BREAK GAME #1 Trash Toss
This one of the coolest old-school game – a thing one does at most when feeling antsy and/or having a mental block – which you can surely enjoy playing with your office mates. Just crumple a few papers and find a strategic place to throw those paper balls to. You may just have to do a bit of cleaning afterward, but what are the odds when you are going to enjoy it anyway?
BREAK GAME #2 Hangman: Work Version
Who loves Hangman? Well, hangman is always fun to play especially with some people around. Moreover, it requires no particular age for someone to play it. Of course, to put it on a work-level break game, you should try incorporating work-related topics – may it be one of your recent projects, some details on your job, or a few things about your company that everyone’s familiar with. Who knows work can be this fun?
BREAK GAME #3 Binder Clip Tag
If the people on your team are feeling a bit drowsy, then this game is for you. You can try and see for yourselves if you are capable of clipping in a binder clip to an unsuspecting co-worker… without being noticed. An extra point will be given if you are able to clip it somewhere obvious, i.e. at the front of their shirt or their hair. Now, once the victim finds out that he or she has been tagged, he/she will be the next ‘it’. To make the game even more interesting, you and your co-workers may come up with a consequence for the last person tagged with the binder clip, either he or she will buy you some pizza or drinks after work.
BREAK GAME #4 Charades
Working yourself the whole day can be very tiring, hence, a semi-physical game can be very beneficial for you and your team! Enter: charades. To play this game, you need to gather your co-workers and divide them into two teams. This time, you can play as the facilitator (yes, for the time being), and take charge of the mechanics of the game. To be able to enjoy the game for a longer time, it is best to use a charades app. The app will generate the words that one member of each team will have to guess and the others will have to act it out to help the member get the correct answer. In the end, whoever manages to get the highest number of points, of course, wins. You and your co-workers may decide if the losing team will get a consequence like taking the winning team out for lunch or ordering pizza for everyone.
BREAK GAME #5 The Silence Game
It’s time to get silly with the silence game. You may have been curious about the mechanics, but the point is there: silence. For you and your co-workers to play this game, all you need to do is not talk. You may shake your head, shrug, nod or use all the gestures you can to communicate, but you shall not speak or you will be doomed forever (did you hear Gandalf, there?). Through this game, one will be able to realize how hard it is for people who love talking (very much) to not talk, hence, at the end of the game, make sure to have your camera on stand by and capture that priceless reaction they will surely make.
BREAK GAME #6 Adventure Hunt with Post-it Notes
“Riddle: I scurry around your desk, but I am not a pest
Answer: Computer mouse”
One way to make your break time even more fun is to adventure hunt, and to make it more exciting, why not use some post-it notes for clues and riddles that your coworkers could use to find the missing treasure? You can use either someone’s computer mouse or a personal mug – the list could be endless, but of course, make sure to ask for the owner’s consent. To make the hunt worth it, pool in some cash or a box of donuts to compensate the humble winner’s effort. Hooray!
Key Takeaway
There’s a lot more games you can play with your co-workers to avoid further mental blocks and discomfort at the workplace which may cost you and your load at a disadvantage. Having this said, start off with this list of simple (yet silly) games with your team and make the best out of your break time!