We have all been through a few team-building events in our lives. Perhaps you have even organised some yourself. So you will surely know the game where you unroll toilet paper and share facts about yourself based on the number of squares, or the one where team members are passed through a net strung up high. Does the hair on the back of your neck stand up just imagining something like that? Would you rather try some psychological games instead?
Are there any fun group games that even the more introverted members of the team would enjoy, games that would make you laugh and genuinely bring the team closer together? Here are some interesting psychological games that you will enjoy while also learning something about yourselves.
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What should the most interesting psychological games offer?
If you want to play games that really reveal something about other people, they need to be meaningful and allow everyone to show who they truly are. This requires a safe environment, and everyone must feel comfortable with the others. As well as letting people express themselves as individuals, the games should also encourage them to show themselves as part of the group.
One of the basic ways to be happy is to know the people around you and have strong social ties. And this is exactly what the best team-building activities should support. Try these group psychological games that will help you do just that. Another advantage is that they are indoor games, so you can play them even when the weather is colder.
1. Stranded on a desert island
An unusual, simple game that works both as an icebreaker and for teams who already know each other.
Imagine you are shipwrecked on a desert island and can take only 10 things with you. Remember that you will be stranded there for a long time, so choose carefully. Once everyone has finished their own list, form pairs. Show each other the items you have chosen and decide together which 10 you will keep.
Once the list has been narrowed down, the pairs join up into groups of four and again cut the list down to just 10 items. You can continue in groups of eight, but that is quite a lot of people. At the end, present to the others what you have taken with you. While negotiating the final list, ask about each person’s inner motivation and why they want to keep that particular item, and try to learn as much as you can about the others.
2. Never have I ever …
“Never have I ever …” is a fun game for uncovering details from other people’s lives. The person who starts says something they have never done, but which they assume someone else has. For example: “Never have I ever had a tattoo.” Those who do have a tattoo must talk about it briefly. Then the person to the right of the first player asks the next question.
If it turns out that nobody has actually done something, for example, nobody owns up to the statement “Never have I ever got a parking fine”, the person asking must come up with another question until at least one person can say that they have.
Great questions include, for example:
“Never have I ever googled my own name.”
“Never have I ever gone to a party without underwear.”
“Never have I ever kissed a stranger.”
“Never have I ever fancied one of my teachers.”
“Never have I ever gone to work after a night of drinking.”
“Never have I ever cheated at school.”
3. Gala dinner for …
The gala dinner is similar to the game “Stranded on a desert island”, except this time you are hosting a gala dinner. First, everyone writes their own list of 10 guests they would like to invite. They can be living or dead, famous or unknown (although the game works better with famous people). You can also agree to allow fictional characters.
My guests would include:
- Stefan Zweig
- Malcolm Gladwell
- Isaac Asimov
- Andrej Sapkowski
- Tony Hawk
- Marie Curie
- Mary Anning
- Chris Hadfield
- Meb Keflezighi
- Saturnin
Then, in pairs, you must agree on a shared list of 10 people. Do the same again in groups of four. If you like, continue in groups of eight, and then introduce your guests to the others. I, for one, would definitely insist on Saturnin coming. But I would understand that Stefan Zweig might not appeal to everyone.
This game is also an interesting exercise in self-reflection, because while thinking about whom to invite, you may discover interesting things about yourself.
4. You can’t say yes or no
This is a fun game for two people. One asks questions and the other must try to answer with anything other than yes or no. Of course, all the questions should be designed to trip the other person up.
“Do you like cheese?” “I’m lactose intolerant.”
“Do you know Dune?” “What’s a dune?”
“Did you get drunk last month?” “I haven’t drunk for half a year.”
“Do you want this game to end soon?” “I absolutely love playing games.”
It is surprisingly difficult. You can keep track of who lasts the longest, or set a number of questions after which the person answering automatically wins. Not only is the game fun, but people usually answer truthfully, so you learn a lot about each other too.
5. Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist is another funny game in which one person leaves the room and everyone else agrees on what illness they are suffering from. When the “psychiatrist” comes back, they question all the patients until they guess what their illness is.
Believe me, you will have fun. For example, the patients might suffer from the delusion that they are superheroes. The game could then go like this:
Psychiatrist: What is your favourite colour?
Patient: Red trimmed with gold.
Psychiatrist: What did you do yesterday?
Patient: I ran three marathons, beat up two mafia gangs and stopped an asteroid before it smashed the Earth to pieces.
Of course, there are many possible “illnesses”, such as chronic truth-telling, crossing your legs every time you speak, a fear of the colour pink, …
