How to Play the "Who" or "What Am I?" Icebreaker Game

“Who Am I?” is a simple cooperative guessing game that’s great for breaking the ice, as a classroom learning tool, or as a way to build teamwork in any setting. Players take turns trying to guess the person written on their sticky notes while the rest of the group answers their questions. We’ll show you how to set up and play a game of “Who Am I?” as well as show you fun variations, example questions, and the benefits of playing it in your classroom or workplace.

“Who Am I?” Game: Rules Overview

Gather 2 or more players (but as many as you like).
Tell each player to write the name of a person on a sticky note.
Shuffle the sticky notes and pass them out randomly.
Choose a player to start with their sticky note on their forehead.
Let this player ask yes-or-no questions about their name.
Answer the player’s questions until they guess it correctly.

Section 1 of 5:

Setting Up the Game

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"Who Am I?" is a party game, so the minimum number for a game of "Who Am I?" is 2, but it works best in a group of 5-8. There’s no max number, though, and you can play with even more if you want, like in a classroom. ^{[1]
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Research source} Generally speaking, the more people you rope in, the more chaotic your session will be, but that can be a good thing!
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Tell each player to write the name of a person or thing on a sticky note. Give each player a sticky note or an index card and tell them to write down the name of a person, like a character or a celebrity. Keep these a secret for now! ^{[2]
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Research source} Make sure you write clearly so that other people can read it.
- To make the game a little easier, decide on a theme as a group beforehand, like “celebrities” or “characters from movies.” Or, decide to go without a theme to make the game a bit more of a challenge.
- Remind players to choose people that anyone in the group could guess, and to stay away from more obscure or niche people that might be tough for some players.
- For example, if you're doing historical figures, a few names you might put on include Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Alexander the Great.
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Tell each player to fold their sticky note in half and place it in a pile or bowl. Mix up the sticky notes, then let each player draw a random sticky note. Tell the players not to look at their notes—it’s supposed to be a secret to them, while everyone else gets to see it later. ^{[3]
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Section 2 of 5:

Playing a Round of “Who Am I?”

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Choose who goes first—often, this is the youngest player. Tell them to place the note on their forehead without peeking at what’s written on the note. If they peek, it'll spoil the fun! If they accidentally see the answer, tell them it’s alright, give them a different card, and start again. ^{[4]
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Let the player ask questions about what’s written on their note. Now, the player who’s “it” gets to ask questions about what’s written on their note. They ask questions in the format of “Am I…?” As they’re asking questions, they’re trying to narrow down the possibilities to try to guess the answer, like playing a game of 20 Questions. ^{[5]
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Research source} There’s no hard limit on how many questions they get, but you might want to cap it at 20, just to make sure the game moves quickly.
- As the player who’s asking questions, start with broad, general questions, like, “Am I a person, place, or thing?” “Am I young?” “Am I famous?”
- Then, as you learn more, make your questions more specific, like, “Have I won any awards?” “Have I been in an animated movie?” “Am I a villain, or a hero?”
- Only guess specific answers once you’re pretty sure you know what the answer is.
- Try to make it so that your questions have yes-or-no answers. Otherwise, the group might get a little rowdy as they all try to answer at once, and you’ll miss what they say.
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Give yes-or-no answers to the player’s questions until they guess right. As the player who’s “it” asks questions, answer them as a group—no need to take turns, just shout it out. Generally, keep your answers to “yes” or “no” so that the player who’s guessing can easily hear them and so you don’t give too much away. Keep answering their questions until they run out of guesses, or until they guess it right. ^{[6]
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- If multiple people in the group disagree, then feel free to talk it out, but don’t give the answer away! You might want to whisper so the player who’s “it” doesn’t hear.
- Sometimes, a player might ask a question that doesn’t have a yes-or-no answer. That’s okay! Keep the answer as simple as you can, and remind them to only ask yes-or-no questions.
- Be honest! Lying to the guessing player is cheating, and ruins the fun.
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Move on to the next player, and play again. Once the player who’s “it” has guessed their answer correctly, move to the next person, like the person to their left, and let them ask questions while you answer them as a group. Keep playing until everyone’s had a chance to guess what’s on their sticky note. ^{[7]
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- This is a low-stakes, casual icebreaker, so there’s not really any winning or losing. To make the game more competitive, though, keep track of who guessed their answer right, and in how many guesses. The player with the fewest guesses wins.
- If the player runs out of guesses or gives up, feel free to give them more specific hints, but don’t reveal the answer unless they want you to.

Section 3 of 5:

Playing Variations of “Who Am I?”

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Make slight tweaks like setting a timer or using pictures instead of words. As a party game, “Who Am I” can be super flexible! Feel free to change the rules to make it your own or to make it easier for a certain group to play. There’s no “wrong” way to play it, as long as everyone’s having fun.
- For example, you might set a timer for the person guessing to make it more fun and frantic.
- Remove the yes-or-no answers rules in smaller groups to make the game less predictable.
- Draw pictures on the sticky notes instead of words to make the game more of an artistic challenge.
- You might give the person guessing a certain number of clues, like telling them the first letter of the answer.
Split your group into 2 halves. And make each half a team. As you play, only the people on the same team as the person guessing can answer their questions. Keep track of how many answers each team gets correct. The team with the most correct guesses wins. Or, split the group into pairs, and play in duos. ^{[8]
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Narrow down the answers into different categories for each round. “What Am I” has many variations that revolve around certain categories. For example, the game "Botticelli" follows the same rules, but players can only write down historical figures (that are at least as famous as the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli) but invert some of the rules. In "Botticelli," players choose their own identities and give other players the initials of their identities.
- Celebrity" is another variation of the game. Players write the names of a bunch of different celebrities on slips of paper and put them into a hat. From there, a player will take a name out of the hat and offer clues to other players. So long as the clues do not mention the name directly, any statement is fine. The goal is to get other players to figure out your celebrity as fast as possible.
- Or, pick up an “official” version of the game, like Headbanz or the Heads Up! app.

Section 4 of 5:

Example Questions for “Who Am I”

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Start with these general questions if you need ideas. In “Who Am I?” you can ask almost anything, as long as it’s a yes-or-no question. That also means it can be tricky to know where to start. Here are lots of ideas:
- Am I a real person? Am I fictional?
- Am I famous?
- Am I in movies? Am I from a book?
- Am I a historical figure?
- Am I an athlete?
- Am I an animal?
- Am I someone who’s popular or well-liked?
- Am I someone I would know personally?
- Am I still alive?
- Am I known for a specific act? Am I known for my career?
- Am I a politician?
- Am I a scientist?
- Am I an artist?
- Am I the first person to have done something big?
- Am I someone who speaks English? (Or another language)
- Am I a hero? Or a villain?

Section 5 of 5:

Benefits of Playing “Who Am I?”

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Team-building As an icebreaker , “Who Am I” is a great way to help people get familiar with one another, shake off nerves or reservations, and learn to work as a group. Since the game is intense but cooperative, it helps a group learn to work under pressure in a constructive and productive way, making it a great choice to bring classrooms and offices together. ^{[9]
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Problem-solving In “Who Am I?” players learn pretty quickly that if they all just shout at the same time, nothing gets done. Instead, they must coordinate and pitch in when they feel like it’d be useful. The player who’s guessing must learn to ask the right questions and use the answers to keep forming better questions. This makes it a great critical-thinking and problem-solving exercise.
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Appropriate for learning differences “Who Am I?” is great for students with learning differences, like those with ADHD, autism, or language disorders. It engages them with a fun objective, capturing their attention. It also helps them start thinking categorically and logically, using reason to arrive at an answer. Further, it helps them develop a vocabulary centered on curiosity and answering questions, which makes it a valuable learning tool for any student, regardless of learning differences. ^{[10]
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Can you play in teams?

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Yes. The game can be easily customized to suit a team style of play.

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How many people can play?

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6-12 people can play the game.

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What if my friend gives up?

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Accept it. You won! However, if you are playing in a large group, you can continue playing with the remaining players.

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"Who Am I?" is also referred to as "The Name Game." ^{[11]
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If you're hosting a dinner party, you might consider playing multiple games in a night. There are countless other games to match the same circumstances as the "Who Am I?" game. ^{[12]
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How to Play the "Who" or "What Am I?" Icebreaker Game

“Who Am I?” Game: Rules Overview

Steps

Setting Up the Game

Playing a Round of “Who Am I?”

Playing Variations of “Who Am I?”

Example Questions for “Who Am I”

Benefits of Playing “Who Am I?”

Video

Community Q&A

Tips

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