Top 5 Best Remote Office Competitions

August 25, 2021 by Nate Martin

Back in the pre-COVID before-times, it was relatively easy to arrange a friendly competition between teams at work; it was as simple as finding a venue like a paintball course, a bowling alley or karaoke bar, reserving space, maybe engaging in a bit of trash talk with a rival team leader, and inviting people to show up and engage in a (mostly) friendly inter-office duel. That’s a little trickier when our teams are distributed! With members of your squad in multiple cities or countries, inviting everyone down to the local laser tag arena isn’t going to cut it. So what’s a competitive team to do?

I’ve curated a handful of clever ideas for virtual games to help your remote/hybrid team relax and let loose their competitive spirit from wherever they are. All of these suggestions work great in a remote environment, so you, your teammates and their rivals from the office one floor up can still have a rumble wherever you are.

#5 – Scavenger Hunt

A time-honored tradition, made more challenging by requiring people to only use what’s in their workspace or home. Give your team a list, set them loose and see what they bring back to show off on camera. Demand items that require some creative interpretation from your team members to really engage their brains – “most impractical container” leads to some…curious selections, as does “most unusual headwear”.

#4 – Color War

Like the scavenger hunt, this game relies on what people have in their own home office to work with. Divide people into teams or let them compete solo, and name a color. Give your team members an allotted amount of time to assemble the most objects, clothing and decor in the named color on camera, with bonus points for creative presentation. This can be a voyage of discovery for the competitors as well – you never really know how many purple things you own until you have to get them all on camera in your office!

#3 – Pictionary

A time honored classic! Using your normal virtual meeting software and software as simple and accessible as MS Paint, you can create a level playing field for everyone without needing a tablet and stylus, or more specialized applications. Encourage your team members to let their inner artist out, while their teammates try to determine whether they’re drawing an airplane or a really oddly proportioned elephant. Break teams into small groups and let them compete for the fastest time to a correct solution!

#2 – Trivia

Trivia competitions are a time-honored tradition for inter-office game nights, and while it may be a bit trickier to get everyone down to the neighborhood bar for trivia night at present, that doesn’t mean trivia night is off! There are a wealth of virtual trivia competition games available online, and if you have the budget for it you can even hire a live host to run a bespoke trivia game for your teams. For added verisimilitude, send your team members some trivia night appropriate snacks or libations to enjoy

#1 – Virtual Escape Games with Puzzle Break

What better way to challenge your teams and stoke their competitive spirit than with a virtual escape experience from Puzzle Break? Your team members will have to work together to solve puzzles, find clues and escape before time runs out. Challenge your office neighbors or your counterparts from another team to a race – the team with the fastest escape wins all! Our virtual experiences can accommodate groups of any size, can be played from anywhere in the world, and with four different experiences to choose from we’ve created an absolutely dizzying array of fiendish puzzles for your team to conquer. Could this be…The Ultimate Inter-Office Competition?

Hopefully this list has gotten your creative juices flowing, and you’re already formulating a plan for an office tournament of champions. If you’d like to learn more about the #1 choice in remote inter-office competitions, you can visit Puzzle Break at https://www.virtual.puzzlebreak.us/virtual-teambuilding to learn more about our best-in-class virtual experiences and get a quote for an event of your own. Reach out to us for more information and let the games begin!

-Nate

Nate Martin

Dubbed the "Founding Father of Escape Rooms," Nate Martin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Puzzle Break, the first American escape room company. Puzzle Break is headquartered in Seattle with locations in Long Island, Massachusetts and on Royal Caribbean ships. Prior to Puzzle Break, he was a senior executive at Microsoft and Electronic Arts. He has shipped software used by billions of users as well as some of the most beloved video games of a generation. @GuyFromTomorrow on Twitter.