A simple and fun co-op game that enhances teamwork
Are you looking for teamwork games that bring smiles to everyone in a gym or event hall? Games that sometimes call for coordination with teammates and other times let you enjoy a sense of unity are essential for strengthening the bonds within an organization.
In this feature, we’ll introduce cooperative indoor games that anyone can join with ease.
These games have simple rules but offer full participation, new discoveries, and a real sense of achievement.
Try them out to help create a positive atmosphere for your group!
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Effective team-building games (1–10)
NASA game
This is a consensus game based on the premise: If you had to prioritize 15 items to survive on the Moon, what would you choose? It’s a game often used in team building.
You have become stranded on the lunar surface.
Your mothership is on the Moon but at a considerable distance, and to reach it, you must determine the priority of 15 items that survived the crash landing.
Discuss thoroughly with your team members and arrive at a single conclusion together!
Gesture Game
Here’s an introduction to a familiar recreation for everyone from children to adults: the gesture game (charades).
Players form pairs as a team.
One person silently acts out the prompt using only gestures, without speaking, while the other tries to guess what the prompt is.
Competing in a time-attack format can strengthen team cohesion, add a sense of excitement, and perhaps break down previous barriers to communication.
Who am I?
This game is about guessers figuring out who the questioner is by asking questions.
The questions must be ones that can be answered with “yes” or “no.” The rules are simple, but because you need to ask many questions to arrive at an answer, conversation naturally springs up among the members.
You also have to listen to the questions other players ask and infer their intent, so by the time you’ve played a few rounds, everyone should feel more at ease with each other.
Another plus is that you can adjust the difficulty based on the prompts, making it enjoyable for participants of a wide range of ages.
Birthday chain
Many people find it difficult to talk with someone they’re meeting for the first time or with people they don’t know well, and aren’t sure what to say.
Birthday Chain is a game that even those people can join without pressure.
From January 1 to December 31, everyone lines up in order from the earliest date—without talking—by using their hands to indicate their own birthday and finding their place in the line.
This makes it easy for shy people to participate.
Once everyone is lined up, we sing “Happy Birthday” to each month’s group.
Knowing each other’s birthdays often helps spark more conversation.
Creating a happy city
It’s a game where everyone cooperates to build a city.
First, you share the information on the cards you’ve been dealt, and if anything needs to be exchanged, you start negotiating to make the trade.
In the end, the team that cooperates most effectively earns the highest score.
Through this game, you’re likely to notice teammates who have strengths you don’t, and to feel a sense of gratitude as well.
Don’t Overlap Game
I also recommend the “Don’t Overlap!” game, which requires teamwork.
In this game, multiple people answer a single prompt, and if any answers overlap, you fail.
For example, if the prompt is “Characters from the Sazae-san family,” you’d fail if multiple people answer “Katsuo.” On the other hand, if everyone gives different names like “Katsuo,” “Sazae,” and “Wakame,” you succeed.
Just make sure your answers still fit the prompt—keep that in mind as you play.
Games Effective for Team Building (11–20)
Speaking of 〇〇, games
This is a game that tests team strength and is great for after-parties or year-end gatherings.
Teams compete to see how quickly they can match answers to a simple prompt like “When you think of 〇〇…?” For example: “When you think of animals popular with kids,” “When you think of mom’s home cooking,” or “When you think of fruit.” You can enjoy the game while predicting what answers your teammates will choose! With large groups, the answers might never line up, so a team size of 2 to 5 is recommended.
Whose Voice Game
Form teams of several people, and have the representative team come to the front.
One person will speak, and the other teams should listen with their eyes closed.
It’s a game where you guess whose voice it is.
If the whole team guesses correctly, they earn 1 point! Repeat this, and the team with the most points at the end wins.
The speaking team should try to disguise who it is by changing their voice or doing impressions.
Prepare slips of paper or mini whiteboards for everyone to write their guesses.
You can also play it as an individual competition.
Trust Game
To improve teamwork, isn’t it important to first build mutual trust? This game involves throwing your body toward others, trusting that they will definitely catch you.
Both the catchers and the person being caught can build greater trust by communicating with each other and being considerate so everyone feels more relaxed.
Improvisation Communication
Improvisation—called “sokkyō” in Japanese—means creating scenes on the spot without a script or score in theater or music.
Since society isn’t a place where everything is predetermined like a script, improvisation is also used in business communication training to help people learn to read the moment and act accordingly.
Sensing what the people here want right now and what might change the situation—reading others and the atmosphere—helps build teamwork skills.
Even if things don’t go well, you can still develop the situation, so the key is to just try without being embarrassed.
You can boost your teamwork skills in a game-like way.
