Here's how it works:
The game is passed around, and one person takes a card out of the box and reads, and then answers, the question written on the card they picked. If it's a BLACK card, only the person who chose the card answers the question. If it's a GREEN card, the person who picked the card answers it first, and then everyone else answers the same question! If it's a BLUE card, the person who picked the card answers it first and then chooses someone else to answer the same question. If it's a RED card, the person who picked the card answers the question, and then anyone else who has a burning desire to answer the same question gets to answer it. (Instructions, and a quick reference card, are included with each game.)
After the question has been answered, the card is placed in the "answered" pouch so that the questions don't repeat - or you can just toss them back in the box for another random selection.
Some of the cards are highlighted in colors simply to offer a variation on playing Play Say What I've found that some people want more of a "game" feel to playing in a group setting, and the colored questions give it that edge. However, in my experience, the game usually takes on an energy all it's own, so please keep in mind that you can Play Say What however you want to!
Here are a few examples of questions:
What do you like most about yourself?
Is there anything you long for?
What was a favorite memory from last year?
What was your favorite toy when you were little?
Any nervous habits?
What would it be like to be you for one day?
What comforts you?
Who would you like to meet all over again?
Compliment the person sitting across from you.
What do you still hear your mother saying?
Share a future memory!
The idea behind this game is to remind us all that we're in this world together, and the more time we take to get to know each other, the less alone we'll feel, and the more we'll realize that we're all made from the same cookie dough!
My purpose in creating Play Say What is to give each of us the opportunity to know each other just a little better than we did before we started playing Play Say What!
The key is to be playful! To enjoy the revelation and insight of those you are playing this game with, and that you ask, and answer, each question with an open and loving heart.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, no time limits, no winners and no losers. Anyone can pass on any question at any time, no explanation necessary! (Special note: None of the questions are explicit or offensive, so that Play Say What can be played in any company - young, old, family, friend, stranger, beloved.)
Some favorite "reviews" I've received from people who have played Play Say What are that it's especially fun at family gatherings and reunions! I also heard from one woman who said that she and her husband played Play Say What the whole time he was stationed in Iraq, and it was a wonderful tool for keeping their relationship new and intimate during their time apart. (Okay, that one made me cry...)
