A party game

[stormkeeper_lovesall]

We played this game at our NYE party, and at Christmas with my family. It was a huge hit both times. All you need is some scrap paper and some pens. I got the idea from YES magazine, when they did a piece on Victorian parlor games.

Here's how it works:

Everyone gets blank scraps of paper equal to the number of people at the table (if there are 5 people, each person gets 5 pieces of paper). Each person writes a phrase or saying on the top piece of paper in their stack, and then puts it on the bottom of the stack. Everyone passes their stack to the left. The recipient reads what the person wrote and then draws it on the next piece of paper. The drawing is put on the bottom of the stack and passed on. The next recipient views the drawing and then writes what they think it represents and passes it to the next person. The next person reviews what was just written, and draws it, etc. so that each stack starts with a saying and then alternates between an artistic interpretation and an interpretation of the drawing. When the stack reaches the person who wrote the original saying, there should be no more blank papers in the stack. They share the stack with the group, showing what they wrote and what transpired. The results are hilarious!

Comments

[nytshd3.livejournal.com]

it was so much fun! i loved it!

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you loved it! Me too!

[nytshd3.livejournal.com]

i was telling my coworker about it and apparently there's a boxed game for this called Scribblish, and she and her family played it over the holidays!

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

No way. Though, we sure proved that all you need is some scrap paper.

[nytshd3.livejournal.com]

i guess in the boxed game they have cards with phrases on it to use, and at the end of the game, you're supposed to end up with a picture (so i guess i has to be an even number of people playing), and you put all of the piles in the middle with the last picture on top and you're supposed to try to figure out which pile is your phrase

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

I enjoy making our own phrases though.

[denisia.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a variation of the Telephone game...fun!

And in a teaching setting, it would be a great way to show students how easy it is to misinterpret and distort someone else's words or intentions.

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly - it was Telephone but with paper! And actually Doris's brother who is a teacher wants to now use this with his students in Spanish class. And our friend Marquesa wants to somehow use this at the hospital she works at.

[shar-bernadotte.livejournal.com]

Although, it is easier for me to play than 'telephone' as I have a VERY hard time hearing and understanding people. I feel quite often like the embodiment of the phrase 'your lips are moving, but all I hear is blah, blah, blah.....' It's strange....I can hear a voice but somehow the syllables all sound jumbled up.

But yes, telephone is a great teaching tool. Sometimes hilarious, too.

[shar-bernadotte.livejournal.com]

I've played it! It is hilarious! Especially when you don't fully explain it until you tell people to start drawing....and you end up with a saying that DOES NOT TRANSLATE!!! Although 'Cat in the Hat' was hard to screw up....LOL! And 'Cow Jumped Over the Moon' ended up well...

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

How cool that you've played this too! I'm glad you loved it as well.

P.S. - I also have trouble hearing and understanding people.