Where in the World?
Where in the World? is a short team game in which the group is shown a random street-level scene and has to work out together where on earth it is, using clues such as road markings, the language on signs and the vegetation. The version described here follows teambuilding.com and uses the third-party website GeoGuessr. A lower-tech variant shows a cropped photo of a landmark from a colleague's home region for the others to guess.
Facilitation script
- 1
Explain the game and the rule that the group must agree on one guess per round. Share your screen.
2 min - 2
Round one: explore the scene, collect clues aloud, agree on a guess, reveal the result.
3 min - 3
Round two, with a different person steering the group to a decision.
3 min - 4
Round three, then add up the total distance.
3 min - 5
Close: name the most useful clue and who noticed it, and move on to the agenda.
1 min
Tips
Test the site on the day, because free access to tools of this kind is limited and changes.
Require a single agreed guess per round; the short negotiation about where to put the marker is the collaborative part of the game.
Ask the quiet people what they can see, since the decisive clue is often a small detail someone noticed and did not think worth mentioning.
Common pitfalls
Not checking the tool in advance, so the session opens with a login wall or a play limit while everyone watches
One person places the marker without asking, and the rest become spectators
No time limit per round. A single scene can absorb ten minutes and the warm-up eats into the agenda
In the photo variant, pictures that show a home address, children or the inside of a house; ask for public landmarks only
Treating the score seriously, which turns a light warm-up into a geography test that some people will feel they failed
Variations
Photo variant for distributed teams: each person posts a cropped close-up of a landmark from where they live, the others guess, and the local colleague then tells the group about the place. This needs no external tool and can run asynchronously in a chat channel over a week. In person, split into teams of three to five with one laptop each and compare totals. For groups above thirty, use breakout rooms with one screen-sharer per room.
Where it fits
When to use it
The first ten minutes of a remote workshop, when you want people talking to each other before the real work starts
A distributed team spread over several countries, using the photo variant to make each location visible
A regular team meeting that needs a short shared activity with no preparation by participants
Before a research or analysis session, as a small exercise in reasoning from evidence and committing to a joint answer
When not to use it
You cannot test the website beforehand, or the venue blocks it; use the photo variant, which needs no external tool
Participants join by phone or on poor connections and cannot see a shared screen clearly; use a verbal check-in instead
The purpose is for people to learn about each other. The street-view game reveals little personal, so use Personal Maps or the photo variant
A group with one geography enthusiast who will solve every round alone; give that person the mouse and a rule that they speak last
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Where in the World?▾
Where in the World? is a team warm-up in which the group looks at a street-level scene or a cropped landmark photo and works out together where it was taken. The group agrees on one guess, sees how close it was, and plays a few rounds. It takes ten to fifteen minutes.
Do you need GeoGuessr to play Where in the World?▾
No. GeoGuessr is the best-known site for the street-view version, but it is a third-party product with limited free play, and any similar site will do. The photo variant needs no website at all: colleagues share close-up pictures of landmarks from their region.
How is Where in the World? scored?▾
After each guess the site shows the distance between the guess and the real location. Add up the distances over three rounds; the lowest total wins. With a single group, the aim is simply to beat the previous round.
How many people can play Where in the World?▾
It works with about four to thirty people. With one shared screen, keep it to roughly ten so everyone can contribute; larger groups play in teams of three to five on separate screens or in breakout rooms.
Does Where in the World? work in person?▾
Yes. Project the scene on a wall for one group, or give each table a laptop and let teams compete. The photo variant also works on printed pictures pinned to a board.
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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 teambuilding.com.