Are your virtual meetings feeling a little stale? Or maybe, you realize you’ve hired new team members who have actually never met in person! Whatever the reason, if you’re looking for some ways to freshen up your next virtual meeting, you’ve come to the right place.
Green Hat Games specializes in providing awesomely fun – and productive – virtual icebreakers and online games. You can use them to bring your team together, get to know one another, or break the ice!
We believe games have the power to bring people together. They can help your team get to know one another and improve your company’s culture. It’s especially true in an online, work-from-home era when it’s getting more challenging to build authentic relationships with your people.
Zoom games ideas for your virtual team:
– Virtual Office Challenge
– Who Did What guessing game
– Picture Parade
– Meet the Pets (or People)
– Virtual Masked Singer
– Icebreakers and Energizers
This article should help you understand how virtual icebreakers can help your team connect and improve productivity and give you some ideas for easy games you can implement at your next meeting.
What Is a Zoom Game?
Zoom games are fun, collaborative activities that happen virtually over an online interface. “Zoom” refers to the popular web-conferencing app. Zoom became a household name in 2020 at the start of the pandemic when companies and even schools moved the majority of their business online. However, technically, these games can be played on any web-conferencing app, such as Google Meet.
Participating or hosting Zoom games can be an excellent way for people in your company to get to know one another or learn more about one another.
How Do You Play Zoom Games?
A quick Google search will show you there are plenty of virtual icebreakers out there. But no matter which you prefer, your team will play virtually on their computers, and the people participating don’t need to be in the same physical space.
Generally, the host separates participants into small groups that challenge one another for victory. If you have a small team of 10-12 people, you could break them into two groups of five or three groups of four. You can divide larger teams in the same way, depending on your needs. You can play most of our Zoom in teams of three to five people.
Most major video conferencing apps have a method of creating ‘break out rooms,’ allowing your smaller teams to enter a private virtual space. Teams can launch their game in these smaller spaces, collaborate using shared screens, and play out their challenge together.
At the end of the game, your smaller teams can come back together in your main virtual meeting space to find out who won!
Value of Zoom Games as a Team-Building Tool
Zoom games can be fun, especially if they’re run well and developed by a company that specializes in virtual games. When done well, they don’t require a lot of preparation, and no one has to print anything to participate.
“But,” you’re wondering, “are Zoom games beneficial to my team?” Yes! Zoom games can be extremely beneficial! Virtual icebreakers:
Help your people get to know each other’s names
Create bonds even when your people can’t meet face-to-face
Boost energy levels
Increase meeting engagement
Make virtual meetings more fun!
Improve team spirit and morale
Get the juices flowing and boost creativity
Increase productivity by helping your team learn how to work together
Help your team improve communication
Can act as a reward or company treat after the completion of a project
Are a fun way to end a difficult or busy week
Easy Zoom Games You Can Try in Your Next Meeting
Think you’d like to give it a try? We think you should, too!
Now that we’re on the same page, let us give you some great ideas for games you can easily incorporate into your next meeting!
Of course, Green Hat Games offers some seriously amazing icebreakers and team-building activities you can play that take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour! However, if you’re just wading into this virtual arena, you may wish to test the waters and see how games work with your crew.
Here are five of our favorite, totally free, totally fun Zoom games you can play right now with your crew – PLUS a bonus you may never have thought of!
Online Office Challenge
If most of your team is working from home, this game will work very well. You simply need to compile a list of items each team needs to gather. Send your teams running around their houses to find as many items as possible. The first team to finish wins! Make sure they show them on camera to prove it!
Variation: You can assign points to each item, making more difficult (or embarrassing) items worth more.
Some things that might be on your list:
Tennis shoe
Your favorite coffee mug
A picture of someone you love
A plant
A magazine
A baby photo
Something that begins with the letter ‘N’
A scented candle
Something that sinks
Something tiny (with bonus points for the person who finds the tiniest thing)
Something with batteries
Something that plays music
You can find lists online, or you can use your imagination!
Really like this idea? We’ve got a great version of Online Office Challenge for you! Our mini-missions will have your team sprinting around their homes or offices in search of treasures, snapping photos, and racing to be the winner!
Who Did What Guessing Game
Break into small groups of five to six people. Have each team select a game facilitator. This person won’t participate in the actual game; instead, they’ll walk the other team members through the game.
First, select a topic that will relate to every person in the group. Some ideas might be:
Your first job
Your worst date ever
Your most embarrassing moment
Your facilitator can assign the topic and have each person text or email them their answer. Next, they’ll read each one aloud and let each person to guess who the answer belongs to. Then, you can either have an open discussion (which can produce plenty of laughs) or have them answer in secret on a piece of paper.
You can assign points for correct answers and have winners or just enjoy the discussion.
Picture Parade
This simple ice breaker requires teammates to have a smartphone or, in a pinch, a photo album! First, break your teams into groups of five to ten and send them into breakout rooms. Next, each person can choose a photo from their camera roll to show the group and explain what’s happening in the photo.
If you want to make the game more interesting, place a few parameters on what photos they can use. You might say the photo needs to be taken outdoors or must include food, for example, but keep in mind, that this may stop some people from playing or push people into uncomfortable territory.
Meet the Pets! (or People)
Think of this game as a virtual take-your-pet-to-work day! If you want total participation, this will need a bit of pre-arrangement, so make sure you communicate your plan to your team a few days ahead of time.
Invite your team to bring their pet, partner, or children on screen. Then, allow them to introduce themselves and say a few things about their work, school, job, hobbies, etc. Then, let your team have a few minutes to ask them questions. What’s great about this icebreaker is that it allows your team to brag about their family and gives excellent insight into the lives of your people.
The Masked Singer – Virtual Edition
This game won’t directly involve everyone, but it will likely capture everyone’s attention. Before the meeting begins, email to your team asking for 10 (or whatever number works for your crew) volunteers to participate in a special karaoke session during your next Zoom call. If they’re willing, have them reply only to you with their song choice.
Next, get the songs ready to be quick and easy to play during the meeting. Then, have the participants enter the meeting using fake names with their cameras off and give each one minute to perform their karaoke number.
At the end, allow your team to try to guess who sang each song. You can assign points for correct answers if you want.
Icebreakers and Energizers From Green Hat Games
Kick off your meeting or create your very own seventh-inning stretch during long sessions with Green Hat’s 10-Minute Icebreakers. Our easy-to-implement, professional-looking 10-minute games can bring new life to your meetings by encouraging collaboration from the very start! Your team will be more engaged and ready to participate.
You won’t find our unique games anywhere else online, and our slick interface will impress even the most discriminating staff members.
We hope you’re inspired to create some excitement during your next Zoom call! Virtual games are an easy way to generate a bit of fun during your online meetings and help your team get to know one another better!
Are you ready to take your virtual games to the next level? We’d love to help! Our games are affordable, easy to operate (you don’t need a host), and super fun! Contact us, and we’ll help you decide what games are best for your group!
Request more info