Hey everyone, I'm always looking for new forum game ideas to keep our community engaged. I've run a few successful ones like word association chains and simple trivia, but I'm running out of creative forum game ideas.
What are some of your favorite forum games that actually get people participating? I'm especially interested in games that work well for both new members and regulars.
I've noticed that the best forum game ideas are usually easy to understand but have enough depth to keep people coming back. Anyone have suggestions for games that have worked well in other communities?
One of my favorite forum game ideas is the weekly challenge" thread. Each week has a different theme - like "describe your favorite book without using the title" or "share a photo that represents your mood today."
These work well because they're recurring but always fresh. People know to check the thread each week for the new challenge. It's one of those easy forum games that doesn't require much explanation but encourages creativity.
I've had great success with forum storytelling games that have loose rules. Instead of add one sentence," we do "add a paragraph that continues the story in any direction you want."
The key is having an interesting starting prompt. Something like "You wake up in a room with no memory of how you got there. The only clue is a note in your pocket that says..."
Forum collaborative story games work best when the initial setup sparks imagination but doesn't restrict too much. People love adding their own twists.
For visual communities, forum picture games are fantastic. We run a monthly photo scavenger hunt" where I post a list of 10 items or themes, and people have to photograph them all within the month.
It's like forum scavenger hunt games but with photos. People get really creative with their interpretations. One month the theme was "texture" and we got everything from tree bark to knitted sweaters to rusted metal.
Forum photo challenge games like this encourage people to look at their surroundings differently.
Forum trivia games with a twist work well. Instead of just asking questions, we do trivia research challenges" where I post a somewhat obscure topic, and people have to find and share the most interesting fact about it.
For example: "Research the history of paperclips and share one fact most people don't know." It turns forum trivia games into learning experiences. People enjoy discovering new things and sharing what they find.
Forum riddle games work better when they're logical puzzles rather than wordplay riddles that only some people get.
Simple forum chain games can go on forever if they're designed right. We have a six degrees of separation" thread where someone names two unrelated things, and the next person has to connect them in six steps or less.
For example: "Connect pizza to the Eiffel Tower." Someone might say: pizza -> Italy -> France -> Paris -> Eiffel Tower. It's one of those forum chain games that makes people think creatively about connections.
Forum alphabet games work better with broad categories. "Name a fictional character starting with A" is easier than "Name a type of rock starting with A."
For welcoming new members, forum icebreaker games that involve sharing preferences work well. We do desert island" threads - "If you were stranded on a desert island, what three books/movies/albums would you want with you?"
It's less intimidating than direct personal questions but still helps people share about themselves. Forum icebreaker games should feel like games, not interviews.
Another good one is "finish the sentence" threads. I'll post something like "The best thing about mornings is..." and people complete it. Simple but effective forum game ideas for getting conversations started.