• Age level: any
• Number of participants: 20-60
• Taught to me by Michael Rohd, Artistic Director of Sojourn Theatre Company in Portland, Oregon

Everyone stands in a circle, facing in. The facilitator says "heads down," and everyone looks down at the floor. Then the facilitator says "heads up," and everyone looks up, directly at someone else in the circle. If two people happen to be making eye contact, they both step out of the circle, and the circle gets a little bit smaller. The game continues until only one or two people are left standing.

Some things to watch out for... make sure everyone is actually looking at someone else, not at empty space. Sometimes participants try to cheat by not actually looking at a person. Also, make sure everyone looks at someone different each time you call "heads up."

I usually don't use games where there is one "winner." However, even though this is an "elimination" game, I like it. The reaction that people have is always the same. There is an instant bond between two people who happen to make eye contact. Everyone smiles, laughs, and becomes chatty. I've played this game with young children, adults, in foreign countries, with people in corrections, with people who know each other, and with complete strangers. This game is ideal for an easy ice breaker. I've also begun to use this game to create partners for subsequent activities (the person you make eye contact with is your partner for the next exercise).