Break-Out Room Tag
Break-Out Room Tag is a game of tag played by hopping between breakout rooms on a video call. Whoever is "it" enters a room, counts down from ten and then names someone present; if that person has not left for another room by then, they become "it". The game is credited to Raymond van Driel, Erica Marx and members of the Applied Improvisation Network.
Facilitation script
- 1
Explain the game in the main session, demonstrate how to change rooms and name who is "it".
2 min - 2
Open the rooms with random assignment and let the chase run. Stay in the main session to reassign anyone who cannot move themselves.
4 min - 3
Close the rooms with a short countdown and ask who is "it" at the end.
1 min - 4
Take one or two comments on what people noticed, then point out that everyone now knows how to move between rooms.
1 min
Tips
Do the room-switching demonstration properly, because the game fails if a third of the group cannot find the button.
Check device limits beforehand: on some tablets, phones and Chromebooks participants cannot move themselves and have to return to the main session for the host to reassign them, so keep a co-host free for that.
Keep it short.
Three to five minutes of play is enough to raise energy, and the game is funniest while it is still slightly chaotic.
Common pitfalls
Skipping the demonstration, so several people sit in one room pressing the wrong buttons and feel left out
Forgetting to enable self-selection of rooms, which only becomes obvious once everyone has been sent away
Letting it run too long, after which the chase loses tension and people start checking email
No one watching the main session, so participants whose device cannot switch rooms are stranded there
Using it with a group that has not agreed to play, which reads as forced fun and costs goodwill for the rest of the session
Variations
Add a safe room where nobody may be tagged, which gives people a place to catch their breath or to sit out. In a freeze-tag version tagged players stay frozen in their room until another player releases them; the source has them freed by joining in a song. For groups above 30, use several taggers and more rooms. If your platform does not allow self-selected rooms, the game cannot be played as described.
Where it fits
When to use it
An online session has run for an hour or more and attention is dropping
Later in the agenda participants will need to choose their own breakout rooms, for example in an online Open Space, and should practise first
The group knows each other a little and is open to a few minutes of silliness
You want an energiser that uses the video platform itself and needs no extra tool
A remote team event needs a quick shared laugh between working blocks
When not to use it
Many participants join by phone, tablet or a locked-down corporate client that cannot switch rooms: use a Virtual Scavenger Hunt or a GIF Challenge instead
The group is very formal or meeting for the first time with senior stakeholders present; a quieter opener such as Check-in Questions is safer
Fewer than about eight people are on the call, because two rooms leave nowhere to run
The session follows a serious or emotional topic and a chase game would jar
Participants have unstable connections, since each room change can drop them from the call
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Break-Out Room Tag?▾
Break-Out Room Tag is an online energiser in which participants play tag by moving between video-call breakout rooms. The person who is "it" enters a room, counts down from ten and names someone in the room; if that person is still there, they become "it". It was developed by Raymond van Driel, Erica Marx and members of the Applied Improvisation Network.
How many breakout rooms do you need?▾
The source suggests one room for every four to five people on the call, so a group of 20 needs four or five rooms. Enough rooms matter because players need somewhere to escape to. With fewer than three rooms the game has little movement.
Does Break-Out Room Tag work on every video platform?▾
It needs a platform where participants can pick and change breakout rooms themselves. On some devices, including certain tablets, phones and Chromebooks, people cannot move on their own and must go back to the main session so the host can reassign them. Test with your own setup before using it with a group.
How long should the game last?▾
The source gives no fixed duration. In practice three to five minutes of play plus a short explanation is enough, about five to ten minutes in total. Stop while people are still laughing.
What is the game good for besides energy?▾
It teaches a group how to move between breakout rooms under light pressure. That makes it a useful warm-up before any format where participants choose their own rooms, such as an online marketplace of topics or self-organised working groups.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Raymond van Driel, Erica Marx and members of the Applied Improvisation Network.