10 Icebreakers to Warm Up a Group of People

#play14 is an international event about serious games that brings together people who believe games are a great way to learn and communicate. After our positive experience in 2024 for the 10th year of #play14 in Luxembourg, Marmelab took part in this event for the second year in a row.

This time, we played (almost) at home since we joined the first edition of Play14 in Nancy, France, the hometown of Marmelab. This edition gathered people from all over Europe, from Poland and Romania to France, by way of Switzerland.

As with every Play14, the first evening and early morning are devoted to playing icebreakers. These games relax the atmosphere, create bonds between people and warm up attendees before starting a workshop or a collaborative task. Thanks to this event, we discovered new icebreakers that we can use in our jobs every day. This article will discuss the icebreakers we preferred during #play14 Nancy.

Place Yourself Game : A Fun Way to Discover People

This engaging serious game is ideal for breaking the ice in settings where participants are unfamiliar with each other.

The facilitator begins by asking a question and indicating the different positions in the room to designate. Participants move to the spot that best represents their answer. To encourage connection and relationship building, the questions should be personal yet non-intrusive.

Examples:

• “Where are you from? I’m from Nancy in France, so I’ll stand here. East, west, north, and south are in these directions. Position yourself in relation to me according to where you come from”
• “How many languages do you speak? This side is 1 and the far end represents infinity. Where do you stand?”
• “How many countries have you visited? One here and infinity at the opposite end.”
• “What are your favorite pets? Cats go to this side, dogs to the other, none here, and “impossible to choose” over there. Participants with other answers can form their own groups.”

The game can last as long as there are questions to ask. You can also experiment with different formats, such as creating maps, groups, or scales with one or more axes.

I love this game because it makes communication between participants flow more naturally afterward. For example:

• Conversations can begin when one person has lived for years in the town where another was born.
• Others might be intrigued by unique answers, like someone who speaks seven languages or hails from the opposite side of the globe.

Boing: The Fast-Paced Clap and Move Icebreaker

This icebreaker requires a large empty room. where every player stands in a circle. The game starts by passing a clap to the first player’s neighbour, either left or right. The goal is to pass the clap as fast as possible between players until everyone gets good at it. There are 6 types of move that are allowed:

• Passing the clap to the left / right then other players must keep the same direction
• Boing to reverse the clap passing direction
• Gong to make all players do a squat
• Woop to pass the the clap across the circle
• High Five to make all players do a high five at the center of the circle
• Freak Out where players change their place randomly while putting their hands in the air and screaming “Freak Out” as if they were terrified. The player that called Freak Out keeps the clap

The facilitator gradually introduces the last 5 moves during the course of the game. A variant of this game would be to make the players “Freak Out” when any player makes a mistake instead of having it as a move that players can do.

Learn more about the Boing icebreaker on the #play14 website

Eggolution: a Story of Evolution from Eggs to Super(wo)men

This game features four types of characters: Eggs, Chickens, Elephants, and Super(wo)men. The goal for each player is to evolve from an Egg to a Super(wo)man. But how do players evolve? By winning Rock-Paper-Scissors games against players that are on the same evolution stage as they are!

How do we find other people that are on the same stage of evolution as we are? Each stage has a gesture that players must mimic while moving:

• Eggs say “egg, egg, egg…” while hitting their head as if they wanted to come out of their shell
• Chickens makes chicken sound while flapping their hand
• Elephants trumpet while moving their trunk
• And finally, super(wo)men circles the group while having their arms behind them as a cloak

Once a player has won a Rock-Paper-Scissors (games are played in a single round), they evolve to their next stage. An Egg would become a Chicken, a Chicken and Elephant, and an Elephant a Super(wo)man.

The game ends when there is only one Egg, one Chicken, and one Elephant left. As the other players have evolved into Super(wo)men.

Learn more about the Eggolution icebreaker on the #play14 website

Giants, Trolls and Witches: A Team Twist on Rock, Paper, Scissors

This game is another variant of Rock-Paper-Scissors with two teams. It requires an empty space large enough to contain all players and an empty space of around 3 meters between each team.

During a turn, all players on the same team must agree on which character they will be on the next round: either Giants (roaring), Trolls (gnnzzzzzzzz) or Witches (gnahaaahhaaa) . Once each team has chosen their character, they walk toward the other team making the sound of their character. The rules are:

• Giants dismembers Trolls
• Trolls eat Witches
• Witches curse Giants

When a team loses a turn, an arbitrary number of its players goes to the opponent team. The number increases for each round that has been won by a team (e.g. by following the fibonacci sequence). The game ends once all players are on the same team.

The team that wins is the one that still exists. The irony is that everyone is in the one and only team at the end, so everyone comes out a winner.

Learn more about the Giants, Trolls and Witches icebreaker on the #play14 website

Count to 33: A Team Counting Challenge

The participants stand in a circle and count to 33 clockwise as quickly as possible. If the current number is a multiple of three or contains a three, the player must clap their hand instead of saying the number.

If any player says the number instead of clapping their hand or vice-versa, the game is lost. The player who made the mistake starts the game again by saying “1” and the other players follow clockwise.

The game ends once the players have reached 33 collectively.

This icebreaker is ideal if you do not have a large room. It can be played even if people do not know each other. Bonus tip: you can celebrate failure each time a player fails, to create a more encouraging environment.

Learn more about the Count to 33 icebreaker on the #play14 website

Happy Salmon: Fast Gestures, Big Fun

This game requires a few sets of the Happy Salmon game to play and a large empty room. The Happy Salmon game features four different types of cards:

• the High Five,
• the Pound-it,
• the Switcheroo,
• and, of course, the Happy Salmon.

In each player set, there are 3 copies of each type of card. Each type of card has a specific gesture.

Each player starts with their deck down and once the game starts, looks at the card at the bottom of their deck and finds another player with the same card. Once two players find each other, they perform the gesture associated and throw the card on the ground. Both then find another player that has the new card they revealed once they throw their card away.

The winner is the first player who has no more cards in his hands. Note that, once the game has ended, it might take a little time to sort all the cards since they are all over the ground (but this is somehow one of the charms of the Happy Salmon!).

Learn more about the Happy Salmon icebreaker on the #play14 website

"The Mind" Game Without Cards

“The Mind” is a card game where players must collaborate to play cards with numbers from 1 to 100 at the center of the table in ascending order. But players cannot communicate with one another. We played a variant of this game without cards, the rules are the following:

• Players have to count collectively to any number (e.g. 40) as a team
• Each player must say at least one number
• If two players say a number at the same time or any player skips a number, the game is lost and a new game should be restarted
• The game ends once the players have reached the target number as a team

Equidistant People: A Game of Movement and Influence

Equidistant People, or Equilateral Triangles Collaboration, is a fun and dynamic energizer that is perfect for generating laughter and fostering teamwork. All you need is some open space to move around.

How to play:

• Mingle: Ask participants to walk around the space.
• Stop: At your signal, each person secretly selects one other participant in their mind.
• Mingle Again: Repeat the mingling process.
• Stop: At your signal, each participant secretly selects a second person.
• Form Equilateral Triangles: Instruct participants to position themselves so that they are equidistant from both of their chosen individuals.

As participants adjust their positions, the group remains in constant motion, creating a dynamic environment.

There are two variants of this game:

• The first chosen person is the Lion, and the second is the Shield. Each participant must align so the Shield is between them and the Lion. This variant removes equidistance and encourages participants to spread out.
• Zebra and Lion: The first chosen person is the Zebra, and the second is the Lion. Each participant acts as a Shield, positioning themselves between the Zebra and the Lion to protect the Zebra. Participants naturally cluster, limiting movement.

Play all three variations consecutively to observe differences in group behavior. This game demonstrates how one person’s movement or actions can influence the entire group. For example, when someone starts running, others tend to follow, creating a chain reaction. It illustrates also that initiating change within a group often inspires others to adapt and follow naturally.

Learn more about the Equilateral Triangles Collaboration icebreaker on the SessionLab website

The CEO Game: Impact on Levels

As the facilitator, select a volunteer to act as the CEO. Ask the CEO to hire two employees from the group. The CEO stands with their arms outstretched, while the employees position themselves close to the CEO's hands.

The CEO can move freely, walking, jumping, getting down, or moving of their arms, and the employees must follow the movements by keeping their head in front of their hand.

Once the CEO understands how their actions influence others, they hire four more employees who stand in front of level 2 hands. Keep adding levels until everyone is included.

This is how it would appear from above with four levels:

For a humorous conclusion, suggest that the CEO lead their entire company through a narrow doorway.

This game demonstrates how the CEO's movements have a cascading effect on the group, with further levels feeling the impact more strongly. It also highlights the challenges for participants whose direct leader (n+1) fails to communicate clearly, making it harder to follow and anticipate movements.

Puppeteer Game: The Multitasking Challenge

Each group of four players forms a square, with each person facing another. In each group, select one designated person.

• The person on their left asks personal questions (e.g., “How many siblings do you have?” or “What’s your favorite color?”).
• The person on their right gives simple mental math problems (e.g., “45 + 12” or “4 + 7”).
• The person facing them performs movements that the designated person must imitate.

The designated person has to do all these tasks simultaneously.

While each task alone seems easy, trying to respond to all three at once, especially under time pressure, makes it very difficult to focus. Managing two tasks at the same time is hard; three is nearly impossible.

This game is also known as Brainshock.

Lean more about the Puppeteer icebreaker on the #play14 website

Conclusion

This article is just an extract from the dozens of icebreakers and energizers we made during #play14 Nancy. The icebreakers we experienced during the event were incredibly helpful in setting the tone for our workshops. They not only helped us loosen up but also fostered connections and a strong sense of team spirit among participants.

It's important to remember that icebreakers aren't a one-size-fits-all solution. While they can energize and engage a group, some individuals may find them uncomfortable or unnecessary. Some games involving close physical proximity—like the CEO game—can be particularly off-putting for some. As with any group activity, sensitivity to participants’ preferences and boundaries is key to creating a welcoming environment.