Fun activities that liven up the office: recreation games
Here are some fun games and recreational activities that will liven up the office.
We interact with bosses and colleagues a lot at work, but many of us don’t have much contact in our private lives.
If you’re thinking, “I actually want to get closer to everyone…!” why not try playing a quick game when you have a little spare time?
We’ve gathered activities and games that are perfect for breaks or in-between moments at office parties, so feel free to use them for ideas.
Forget about work for just a bit, and let’s build camaraderie while having a great time together!
- [Simple Games] Recommended Indoor Recreational Activities for Adults
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- [In a Short Time] Icebreakers and Fun Games That Shine at Morning Meetings
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- Simple yet exciting! Recommended games and activities for year-end parties
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- [For Adults] Fun recreational games. Perfect for short breaks too!
- A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
- Office party games that get everyone excited
- Games that liven up social and networking gatherings
- Recommended indoor games and recreational activities for the workplace
- Break the ice with intros and team battles! Party games to spice up your welcome event
- Fun games recommended for making friends with people you’ve just met
Fun games to liven up the office: Recreation games (21–30)
Training icebreaker
In training settings where you meet people for the first time or feel tense, using various icebreakers is recommended to ease the nerves.
For example, in the classic game where teammates try to give matching answers, matching responses help you find common ground, and even when they don’t match, discussing why you chose your answer encourages communication.
In a game where participants line up in ascending order by something like birthday or height without speaking, you can foster cooperation.
During introductions, asking slightly unusual questions can reveal unexpected sides of others.
Choose icebreakers that suit the group you’ve gathered.
Easy! Tim Tam Game
This is a simple word game invented by Yamana from the comedy duo Akina.
First, one person says “Tim” and “Tam” in a random order 14 times.
The other person predicts whether the 14th will be “Tim” or “Tam,” and at the moment the 14th comes, say the one you think it is together.
If you’re right, the predictor wins.
You can also do it so that after 13 times, the predictor answers the 14th alone like a quiz and then you check if it’s correct.
Feel free to change how many times you say “Tim” and “Tam,” or adjust how you answer—make your own rules through communication and enjoy!
Fun for communication! Pokan Game
Words that seem obvious to you can be completely unclear to everyone else—what do they even refer to? In the “Pokan Game,” you guess the true topic hidden behind such words through conversation.
First, the person who’s “it” gives a single-sentence line or phrase as the prompt.
The others then figure out what it refers to by asking the leader questions and proposing guesses.
It’s best to choose prompts that aren’t easily solved, ones that require some real thought.
Talk a lot and deepen your bonds as you play!
Training by blocks
A no-right-answers game using blocks that’s great for icebreakers.
Participants intuitively choose one piece from a set of block parts and then assign their own meaning—thoughts or feelings—to that piece in a dialogue-based game.
The act of “choosing” a block reflects the subconscious, bringing out genuine opinions and values we don’t usually notice.
The rules are: “no correct answers,” “no negativity,” and “everyone speaks,” with a facilitator guiding the process.
In a short time, diverse viewpoints are made visible, making it effective for building team understanding and trust, and improving workplace relationships.
It enables easy yet deep conversations and is also well-suited for sharing visions.
Let’s try a management game!
The “Management Game” is a game in which each player becomes a company president and runs a business.
It’s known as a training game that Sony created for in-house use in 1976.
One round of the game represents one fiscal year, and at the end of each period you prepare a P&L and a balance sheet.
After five periods, the player with the highest equity wins.
Despite being a game, it offers the chance to learn practical know-how such as procurement, manufacturing, and bidding.
By experiencing the role of a president who must oversee everything, participants can expect to improve their proactiveness, sense of purpose, and team capabilities.
Finding commonalities
Common-ground finding is a fun game that helps you talk with people you’re meeting for the first time and feel closer to them.
There are various ways to play: for example, participants form pairs or groups and, within a time limit, look for things they have in common through conversation; or they present common points they’ve written down in advance—those are standard approaches.
Conversations can stall without a prompt, so set simple topics like “How you spend your days off” or “Favorite foods.” It’s also a good idea to set a target number of commonalities to find beforehand.
Does an English conversation telephone game work?
Let’s try playing a game of telephone in English, where each person passes along the same phrase to the next! First, present an English sentence as the prompt.
It’s recommended to have an AI tool read it aloud rather than a person pronouncing it directly.
The first person listens to the sentence and passes it on to the next person.
If the last person can accurately state what the original English sentence was and provide its Japanese translation, the group succeeds.
You could also make the sentence a question and have the last person give an appropriate answer to that question.
It’s a fun communication game that will make you laugh while also testing everyone’s English skills.