Imagine it’s the end of the annual sales conference. Everyone is ready to go crash in their hotel rooms, but first you have to do a teambuilding activity. No one is excited to be there. Then the coordinator shouts “Find a partner and play Rock, Paper, Scissors!” In just ninety seconds the whole room is on its feet cheering for someone like they are at a big sports game.
This is The Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament. In this group Rock, Paper, Scissors variant it starts with a normal game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner gets to move on to the next round.. Here is the twist: when you lose you don’t sit down.
Instead you become a fan of the person who beat you. You follow them to their next match and cheer for them as loud as you can. If they win again their group of fans gets even bigger. By the time it gets to the final round there are two people left and each one has a big group of people cheering for them. The best part is that it does not cost anything it only takes five minutes, and it always gets the room excited.
Team Building Icebreakers, Nice but Forgettable
Most meetings and big gatherings start in the same boring way. Someone shows a slide, goes over some basic information, then asks everyone to introduce themselves and share something interesting about themselves. This is polite. It is also very forgettable. It does not do much to get people excited and engaged.
The problem is not that people do not want to connect with each other. It’s that most team building icebreakers often ask too much of people too soon. They want strangers to share things, perform in front of a crowd, or play a game with poorly explained complicated rules. As a result people get uncomfortable. They would rather just wait for the “real” content to start.
The people running the meeting feel this pressure too. They have a few minutes at the beginning to set the tone for the rest of the meeting. If they do not do it right they end up having to desperately try to keep people engaged for the rest of the time.
Group Rock, Paper, Scissors Adds Fun to Big Group Activities
The solution is not to make the icebreaker game more complicated. It’s to make it simpler. The Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament works well because everyone already knows how to play. There are no rules to explain, no special equipment to hand out, and no need to explain how to use an app. You just remind people how the game works, add one twist and let them play.
The twist is what makes the game much fun. When people lose they don’t just sit down and tune out what’s happening. They get to become fans of the person who beat them. This means that everyone stays involved and engaged and the energy in the room keeps building.
This game works with big groups because the more people there are, the more exciting it gets. The cheering sections get bigger and louder. The final round is always really exciting. It is also easy to run because people naturally figure out what to do. The winners look for other winners to play against. The losers join the cheering section of the person who beat them.
You can play this game in a hotel ballroom a company meeting, or a school assembly . All you need is a group of people who’re willing to make some noise and have fun.
How to start The Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
What you need is a group of least 15-20 people, some open floor space and loud voices. You do not need any equipment or technology.
Step 1: Set the rules before you start.
Quickly remind everyone how Rock-Paper-Scissors works: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock, and a tie means you play again immediately. Most adults haven’t played since elementary school, so a fifteen-second refresher avoids confusion later. We recommend specifying 1, 2, 3, Shoot to be sure rounds go smoothly.
Step 2: Explain the twist clearly, and sell it with energy.
This is the moment that makes or breaks the activity. Tell the group: “When you lose, you don’t sit down. You become a superfan of whoever just beat you. Follow them to their next match and cheer their name.” Model what that looks like yourself — jump, clap, chant a name — show people how loud they are encouraged to be for this activity.
Step 3: Have everyone find a partner and play.
Have everyone pair off. If you have an odd number, let one extra person join an existing pair for a quick three-way play-in match, or recruit them as your co-referee. Call out “1, 2, 3, SHOOT!” to start the first wave of matches across the whole room at once. Keep each match to a single round (best two-out-of-three only slows things down at this stage).
Step 4: Winners find new opponents and bring their fans.
Once a player wins, they look for another winner to face off against. Their cheering section (now one person) follows them. When that next match ends, the new loser and their fan(s) join the winner’s growing crowd. The two cheering sections merge behind a single winner with everyone now chanting that person’s name.
Step 5: Repeat until two finalists remain.
Winners will keep pairing off with winners, and losers will keep joining the ever-growing cheering sections. This continues until the entire room has narrowed down to two players. By this point, each finalist should have a sizable, loud group standing behind them.
Step 6: Make the final round count.
For the championship match, switch to best two-out-of-three. This single change matters more than it seems: it gives both crowds extra rounds to cheer, builds suspense, and gives the eventual champion a win that feels earned rather than lucky.
When the game is over let everyone cheer and have fun. Then ask people how they are feeling and use that energy to move into the rest of the meeting.
Some tips for running the game:
- Play music while people compete. Something upbeat and familiar works best it will fill the silence between matches and pushes people to be a little louder than they normally would in a conference room.
- Invite people to participate at their own comfort level. Some will shout; some will clap quietly. Both are fine, and the collective energy usually gets the proper effect.
- This activity shines for groups of 15 and up. This is a great icebreaker game for large groups. Even the most timid of people can end up having everyone cheer their name while they become the hero of the day.
The Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament can be a great way to break the ice at a company meeting or convention. It can be hard to find icebreaker games for large groups, but this activity is going to make it easy to start off meetings with energy and engagement.