The Ghosts Attack Game

Ghosts Attack is a fun and suspenseful game to break the ice in the group and improve observation and active listening skills.

Identify a small group of people who volunteer to be the “ghosts” of your group. One ghost per eight or so people seems to work pretty well.

Ask the ghosts to stand aside for a few moments.

Invite the rest of your group to randomly distribute themselves throughout a specified area. Once positioned, ask everyone (other than the ghosts) to close their eyes and not move.

Challenge the ghosts to take out the rest of the party by standing directly behind one person at a time for ten seconds without them noticing. If a ghost can remain undetected for 10 seconds, they are entitled to tap the person gently on their shoulders to announce their presence (to eliminate that person.)

If the presence of a ghost is detected in advance, the unsighted person will call “is there a ghost?.” If the call is correct, these two people swap roles, otherwise, the accuser is eliminated.

Continue play until everyone has been eliminated, or set a time limit for the ghosts to accomplish their task.

Moment of Reflection

• What did you notice about this exercise?
• What was the funnest part of the game?
• What sensations did you experience? Why?
• What was the most challenging part of sneaking up to another person?
• What strategies did you employ to be more successful?

The topics of this publication: non-verbal communication, interactions, integration, observation skills, adaptation, adaptability skills, active listening, disinhibition, distension