A virtual meeting platform is very much like a physical one with the addition of various type of gaming devices. If you ask most people why they chose to attend these platforms, they will most likely tell you that they chose this option instead of the physical one because they like the idea of not needing to travel or pay any required dues for this type of event.
There are many great virtual meeting platforms out there. If you’re new to this space, it may be overwhelming to figure out which one is the best.
Chubby Bunny đ°
Chubby Bunny is a classic game from many of our childhoods, that is also easy to adapt for video conference calls. To play, each person puts a large marshmallow in their mouth and then says the words âchubby bunny.â The players that say âchubby bunnyâ successfully then add a second marshmallow to their mouth and try to say it again. You repeat this process until a team member is unable to say the words.
Chubby Bunny works well for virtual conference call games because it combines the ability to see, speak and hear with something fun and tangible.
This list has more virtual minute-to-win-it style games.
Jitsi Meet
For an open source platform option you can customize, consider Jitsi Meet for your next virtual meeting. Secured by strong encryption, this virtual conference software does not cost anything, require you to register, or limit the number of people you can invite to meetings. With such flexibility, Jitsi Meet offers endless possibilities for you and your team to hold virtual meetings, online conferences and more.
Discover Jitsi Meet.
6. Toasty
Toasty is a virtual meeting platform that empowers any meeting host to engage their audience and drive collaborations in online meetings and workshops. The app has built-in activities like icebreaker questions, conversation cards and polls. It also features an interactive meeting agenda which the host sets before-hand and allows all participants to follow along with the schedule and activities; knowing what will happen and when is a great way to keep attendees participating. Toasty is built on AWS and Jitsi, which provides for secure, stable and easy-to-access connections.
Learn more about Toasty.
Online Office Games (Fully Hosted)
Online Office Games is a fully facilitated video conference game for remote workers. For this activity, we bring your people on a video call for 90 minutes, and play a series of fun games and challenges. For example, we include team formations, trivia and communication games like âCan your hear me now?â
Online Office Games takes place over a secure video conference line that we provide. For your event, we provide both an energetic host to keep your people engaged and a co-host to manage the technical aspects. The games are fun, active, and a great way to bring your people together.
Learn more about Online Office Games.
War of the Wizards (Popular)
War of the Wizards is a 90 minute online role-playing game, that is like a very simplified Dungeons & Dragons. The game is popular with pro-gamers and amateurs a like, and focusses on fun mechanics like storytelling and problem solving.
Our experienced host leads the game on a secure video call line that we provide. The game dynamics promote communication, collaboration and teamwork.
Learn more about War of the Wizards.
Video Conference Trivia
Video Conference Trivia is an easy way to get started with online conference games. To plan your team trivia event, source a set of questions and then run the trivia pub-style. You can read out the questions and the first person on the conference call to answer correctly wins one point.
Here are some fun Video Conference Trivia themes:
- Countries of the world
- Name that YouTube tune
- Things I found on Google Street View
- Podcast quiz
- Wikipedia adventure
You can create questions from each source to help create a fun theme for your trivia. Here is a guide to running your trivia game.
Three Little Pigs đ
Three Little Pigs is one of those fun conference call games you can play with a wide range of teams. To organize this game:
- Challenge each participant on the call to build the best pig-house they can in three little minutes. Players may use any materials they have within grabbing distance of their desk.
- Introduce an external force, like a deep huff and puff to blow each house down. Continue making the huff and puff blow stronger from level 1 to level 10.
- Any houses that remain standing at level 10 get one point.
Three Little Pigs is a fun game for teams that like crafts, puzzles, strategy, competition and more.
Sip-Sip
Sip-Sip is a fun game you can play on conference calls with your coworkers. To organize this game, choose one, unsuspecting, person as the trigger. When that person takes a sip of a drink, all other team members simultaneously take a sip of their drinks as well. The game continues until the trigger realizes what is happening.
Here are more online drinking games.
10 Minute Business
10 Minute Business is a conference call game that challenges teams with entrepreneurial thinking and business strategy development.
To play this game with remote teams:
- Form teams of four to five people each and put them in breakout rooms to work together.
- Provide 10 minutes for each team to develop a new business concept and pitch. You can provide a theme like âupgraded lemonade standâ or âzero labor requiredâ or similar.
- Bring all of your people back to a main call and have each team present their idea.
Award prizes for the best ideas, and use the game as a platform to start talking about entrepreneurial values and decision making.
This list has more improv games for work.
Never Have YOU Ever
Many people are familiar with the game âNever Have I Everâ, which is easily adapted to video calls. This version is a little different, where you still start with five fingers showing but instead of sharing something about yourself, you name something that a specific team member hasnât done. For example, âBobby, never have you ever eaten carrots with peanut butter.â
If Bobby has in fact mixed carrots and peanut butter then he puts a finger down, along with anyone else that has this shared experience, and the person asking puts a finger up, to a maximum of five. Then, the next player goes. The game ends when only one player has fingers remaining up.
Here are more ice breaker games and a list of get to know you questions.
Office Spirit Day
Office Spirit Day is a video call game that brings the fun of high school spirit days to the workplace. To get started, designate a theme for the day for your team to dress up as. Then, your team votes for the member whose outfit best fits the theme. The person who receives the most votes wins.
Some Office Spirit Day themes to try are:
- Pajama Day
- Fancy Dress Day
- Disney Prince/Princess Day
- Dress Like a Pirate Day
- Twin Day
- Flannel Day
- Celebrity Day
- 50âs Day
- Dress Like an Animal Day
Office Spirit Day is a great way to bring everyone together because it encourages employees to express themselves through their outfits. Not to mention, your team can bond over the more ridiculous or silly ensembles.
Here are ideas for virtual spirit week.
Whatâs On My Desk?
Whatâs On My Desk? is a game, where your team guesses whose desk is pictured based on their knowledge of coworkers. To play, ask your team to submit a photo of their desk, and upload the photos to a shared space that everyone can access. Then, employees guess the owners of the desks. The winner is the team member with the most correct guesses.
Whatâs On My Desk? is excellent for team building because employees can learn surprising things about each other through the memorabilia on their desks. And, if coworkers learn that they have some hobbies or other shared interests, then it may help them bond in the future.
Dance Off
Dance Off is a lively video conference activity that gets your team out of their seats and is a great stress reliever. Prior to the Dance Off, compile a playlist of music that is fun to dance to. Then, on the day of the Dance Off, everyone shows off their dance skills in the same virtual meeting room. The winner is whoever receives the most votes as the groupâs best dancer.
Since Dance Off is a more active team building game, it can help spur engagement by giving your team a break through a rush of endorphins. And, since dancing is not usually a skill often showcased at work, Dance Off is also a fun opportunity to learn more about your coworkers.
Workout Challenge
Workout Challenge is a game inspired by the viral âSee 10, Do 10â Instagram challenge. To play, one team member tags another to do ten push ups. When that person finishes, they tag the next person until everyone has completed ten push ups. However, if someone neglects to do ten push ups, that person buys everyone else a coffee.
Workout Challenge is a superb game for teams that want to add a bit of fitness to their workday. Because everyone participates, this exercise pushes employees to be accountable for ten push ups, and may even help them build strength for more push ups in their free time.
Here are more team workout ideas.
Conclusion
The idea of immersing yourself in a totally different world has held a lot of appeal for science fiction writers and philosophers alike. Virtual reality (VR) is poised to be the next big thing in gaming and entertainment, but developers will soon unleash the technology’s potential in many other areas including medicine, education, architecture and construction.