[For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
We’re introducing recommended games and recreational activities for college students!
We’ve gathered a variety of options—from exciting activities perfect for club or seminar retreats and welcome/farewell parties, to simple games for small groups, and large-scale recreation suited for spacious venues like school grounds.
There are plenty of activities you can enjoy indoors too, so no need to worry about the weather on the day!
These can be used across many event scenarios, so feel free to use them as a reference.
Let’s play some classic recreational activities and trending games, and have a great time together!
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[For University Students] Roundup of Exciting Games and Recreational Activities (81–90)
11 Recommended Games for Networking/ Social Gatherings
Games with simple, easy-to-understand rules can be enjoyed by everyone from kids to adults.
When there are many participants, head-to-head games are recommended.
Games like Werewolf, escape games, or competitions where you add up everyone’s step counts from a pedometer seem great for deepening bonds as participants cooperate and strategize together.
There are also various other ideas introduced, including online versions.
Be sure to try incorporating them and have fun!
The “Haa” game
“The ‘Haa’ Game” is a casual party game that uses commercially available cards and can be played with three or more people.
For example, a single word like “haa” can have many meanings.
There’s the angry “Haa?”, the impressed “Haa~”, and even the sighing “Haa…”—the tone and delivery can express multiple nuances.
In this game, players say such a multi-meaning word, and others guess which meaning it is.
The rules are simple: each card with the prompt word lists eight variations labeled A through H, and players guess which meaning the speaker intended.
Besides multi-meaning words, there are also gesture-based prompts like “a certain kind of sleeping face,” so you can enjoy it over and over without getting bored.
Rhythm 4 Game
This is the “Rhythm 4 Game,” a game that became popular on a Japanese TV variety show.
It starts with the call, “To the rhythm starting with XX.” XX is a nickname—everyone is called by a two-syllable nickname.
After saying the nickname, you say a number from 1 to 4.
The person called then keeps the rhythm by tapping their knees or the desk, and passes it to the next person.
If you can’t keep the rhythm or fail to pass it properly, you’re out.
Illustration Telephone Game
It’s a game that tests members’ ability to communicate and understand each other—both the willingness to convey your message and the skill to grasp what others want to express.
Players depict a given prompt through a drawing; the next person interprets the prompt from that drawing and then passes it along with their own drawing to the next participant, and so on.
The final person states, in words, what they believe the original prompt was, and everyone enjoys seeing whether they got it right.
If the group reaches the correct answer, you can feel a strong sense of unity; even if they don’t, it’s fun to analyze how the meaning shifted along the way.
The ability to capture distinctive features and one’s drawing skills are also part of what makes this game enjoyable.
Mansion Game
Let me introduce a rhythm-based apartment game.
There is a five-story apartment building, and the person who first reaches the 5th floor loses.
Assign room numbers to players one by one.
For example, rooms on the first floor are numbered 101, 102, 103, and so on.
Once the game starts, say your own room number, then call out the room number of the next person.
Keep the game moving at a steady tempo with hand claps and a time limit.
If someone is called but fails to respond in time, their room number advances to the next floor—201, 202, 203, etc.
The person who ends up reaching the 5th floor loses.
It’s a thrilling apartment game—let’s keep our focus and play with good rhythm.
No equipment needed! Air catch ball
“Air Catch,” a make-believe game of tossing an imaginary ball without any props, is a very simple team-building activity.
Participants form a circle.
Someone calls another person’s name while miming a throw of the “air ball,” and the next person pretends to catch it and continues in the same way.
The rules are: make eye contact and call the person’s name before you throw.
Once everyone gets used to it, you can increase the difficulty by tossing multiple balls at once or speeding things up.
It builds communication skills and concentration and gets people laughing, making it great for training icebreakers and strengthening team cohesion.
It takes about 5–15 minutes, so give it a try!
[For University Students] Collection of Exciting Games and Recreational Activities (91–100)
A game developed by NASA
Let’s try playing a game developed by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
To briefly explain the game: it assumes a situation where a spaceship has malfunctioned, and you rank 15 items you have on hand.
You assign ranks in order of necessity, and decide them through group discussion.
First, each person should make their own ranking based on their interpretation, and then discuss and reconcile the differences with the group.
Can you determine the correct order—and survive?
