The Gen Game is a puzzle with “hidden rules.” In such games, players have no clue about the rules.
The game is similar to a puzzle that each player must solve without exposing the answer to the others. There is just one rule (which remains hidden until the end): before repeating the sentences, you have to say “okay” first.
You will give you a comprehensive guide on playing this game right here. Let’s read on to discover!
Requirements For The Game
The preparation for this activity involves little effort. You only pay attention to three following factors:
Space
You play this game everywhere because it doesn’t require any special tools. Feel free to try it while at home, at parties, in the classroom, or even traveling.
Players
Thanks to its simplicity, this game works well for both kids and adults. To have fun, you should gather a group of at least three people.
Items
As the name implies, all you need for this game is a pen. If you don’t have any, use your finger or any other object instead to point.
How To Play The Pen Game?
This idea is more than just a game. We might not be far off if we thought it was a prank. The game entails declaring two phrases and pointing around with a pen.
Goal
The goal is for everyone to find out the prank on their own. They will keep making mistakes and get irritated, but that is the key to this idea.
How to play
The leader takes the pen and says: “Okay, I can play the pen game. Can you play the pen game?” while using the pen to point randomly at other players in the room.
Then, the leader passes the pen to another player. This challenged player will try to copy all the actions and words of the starter.
However, if the challenged person does not say “okay” (which always happens), the leader must say, “No, you can’t.”
Rule
The exciting and fun aspect of this prank is that the players don’t have any idea about the rules set by the host.
Let’s pretend it’s a mystery that each player must solve without answering the others.
This prank has only one rule: mention the word “okay” before you repeat the other sentences.
Strategy
You don’t actually play this to win. It’s about finding out the rule that allows the leader to trick everyone and confuse the players.
The leader will repeat his action and sentences multiple times. He may point at the players in a particular order, making the trick even harder to guess.
Players must focus on whatever the leader says and does to figure out the trick. Also, try as many times as possible. You will get close.
The prank is funnier when someone has found out the trick. Then, the leader asks them to repeat what they’ve just said and done. If correctly, the leader will announce: Yes, you can.
However, the accurate guessers have to keep the trick concealed. Other players can discover the rule easier when more people are doing the trick.
Tips For Leaders
The leader plays a vital role in this prank. He sets the rule, keeps the rule hidden, and gives others hints.
To make everyone more curious and competitive, the leader needs to focus on three things: the word “okay,” the two sentences, and the actions.
How to casually say “okay”?
The prank gets harder to guess since the trick is on the word that most people ignore: okay.
It’s normal to say this word before we do anything. In this case, the thing to do is pass the pen and say the sentences. As a result, people often tend to pay more attention to other words and your actions.
But how to casually say “okay” to prank the players? Two tips below can help:
Say it briefly
Do not let anyone notice that “okay” is an important word. So, try to speak it like you often do.
Use body language
When you add body language as you speak, people often check on your actions more than what you say.
For example, when saying “okay,” you can fix your hair and take a seat. People will assume that you just settle down to begin your speech.
Tips for making the game harder
How to make the players find it more challenging to figure out the rule? What can you do if your friends love this game and want to play more?
Each rule can only work once. Hence, it would help if you changed it so the difficulty level would be on the next level. Here are some ideas you may want to try:
Exaggerate the pointing order
Remember that you have to say the sentences and point at your friends with a pen in an order? Your actions draw attention easily, so take advantage of them.
For example, you can use a particular order. Other players may try to remember who you pointed first to last without any idea of the hidden word you say right from the beginning.
Use the pointing order as a trick.
This idea is best when you play in a large group of more than ten people. With this trick, you should only do it a few times so that your friends need more time to figure out the correct order.
You can point from the youngest to oldest, from all people with short hair to those with long hair, or from shortest to tallest.
Give some hints
As aforementioned, your friends may get angry because they can’t tell the trick. In this case, give them some hints.
You can advise them to focus on what you say instead of what you do. Do not stress on “okay” this time. Otherwise, exaggerate some words of the two sentences.
Can The Sentences Be Changed?
Yes, you can change them. However, you must maintain the ideas and have a trick that the players have to discover to keep playing.
Since the “okay” is the key of the original version, you can change other factors without affecting the rule.
Changing the sentences is a great idea if you want to challenge your friends in the next round.
How To Set Up The Game For A Group Of Kids?
People have developed many versions and tried to make the original one more fun. Some teachers even found out its potential for education.
How to teach the kids to play the “Pen Game”?
Let students sit in a circle and tell them that they must not unveil the rule.
The teacher gives a student a pen which he needs to pass for the next one.
Once the student has passed the pen, tell the rest of the kids that the passer has broken the rule. Now you may reveal the rule.
Ask that the second student give the pen to the next person.
Continue to call out the broken rule until the pen moves to the kid who began the game.
Any rule applies: passing the pen using the left or right hand, passing to a student wearing blue pants, passing without saying anything, etc.
Benefits to kids
Many teachers have applied this idea to show their students how
making laws and rules without asking others can cause unfairness and injustice.
The updated version is a great warm-up exercise for human rights. Teachers can use it as a starting point for defining classroom rules that protect and respect everyone’s rights.
You may use this special version with your children to help them understand the significance of establishing and adhering to fair rules.
You may utilize the discussion to come up with a list of house rules that everybody must follow.
How To Play The Pen Game On TikTok Or Facebook?
The game, which has exploded in popularity on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and, most notably, TikTok, is more of a puzzle that requires two or more players and a pen.
The challenge’s goal is to find out how to win, but it isn’t as tricky as it sounds.
If you are the one who starts the game, make sure the other participants don’t know how to play.
Then, play the game as instructed above. Try to use the word “okay” as inconspicuously as feasible. People’s responses to the videos are what has made them so iconic.
People become angry because they believe they have correctly copied the individual before them, but they did not begin with the secret word “okay.”
It’s a great idea to try it with your friends now. Watch this video to see how it works, and you will know how it gets that viral on social media.
Punishment For The Game
One or two people will need the longest time to find out the rule or even fail to guess it. You can punish them with one of these methods:
- Buy a pizza but pay for it in coins.
- Open the windows and shout your love for your mum at the top of your lungs.
- Take a bite of a raw potato.
- Imitate an animal.
- Allow the player on your left to take an ugly photo of you and your double chin, then post it on social media.
- Send your crush a text message.
- Put as much popcorn as you can in your mouth, and only chew when it is full.
- Ask your neighbor if they’d be willing to adopt you.
- Mix all of the available foods in the fridge and eat them.
Why Is It Called “Pen Game”?
It gets the name because participants use a pen to point at each other. Hence, the two sentences also involve the title.
In most versions, players use a pen, but they just point about with their fingers in newer versions. Let’s say you’re using a pen for the sake of this idea.
Variations
If you love the concept of concealed rules, check out this list for some of the most popular games with the same idea.
The Red Robin
The Red Robin, one of the players, claims that he is thinking of a type of candy/ food/ drink or any topic.
The others take turns to name an object belonging to that topic until there is an accurate guesser.
The Devil calls out that person and races with him to run to the starting line. The one hitting the line first will be the Devil of the next round.
Bang Bang Who’s Dead
You, as a leader, show everyone in the circle your finger gun. Then declare that you will shoot some people here, but only one of them will die.
The players have to tell the victim without any idea of the rule.
The secret here is who speaks first after the leader stops shooting is dead, even when he wasn’t shot.
Conclusion
The “Pen Game’ goal is to figure out the only rule that lets you challenge the players.
This popular game is more complicated than you would think at first. Creative teachers even used this idea to educate their students about equality and the meaning of human rights.
Hopefully, you have an excellent idea for your next gathering with friends after reading this article. For any further information, please feel free to ask. Thank you for being so interested!
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