John and Jackie introduced us to “That Sound Game” on our game afternoon after Christmas.  We recently bought our own copy to use for game night with the other volunteers.  The game is simple, challenging, and hilarious.

The rules for That Sound Game are easy.  You divide up into two teams.  Each team takes turns drawing cards and guessing the words on the cards.  The challenging part is that you can’t use words, items around you, or your hands.  As someone who has a hard time communicating without using my hands, this was especially difficult.  The easiest thing to do is clasp your hands behind your back when it is your turn to act out the words.  The cards have different point values based on how difficult they are.  Each team tries to guess as many words as they can before the time runs out.

Tom and I prefer a less competitive version of the game.  We go around the circle with each person taking a turn acting out the cards.  We don’t keep score at all or divide up into teams.  The game is more fun and you don’t have to keep track or whether or not someone got the exact phrase.

When we played with the other volunteers, everyone jumped right into the game except Bob Verba.  Bob is a wonderful guy but he is also very introverted and shy.  He hates having any attention focused on himself and often feels that he isn’t equal to the rest of us in brainpower (not at all true).  Bob, however, can fix anything and we call him “the golf cart whisperer” because he keeps all the golf carts working.  The first time the cards came around to Bob, he didn’t do anything – he said he would let the time run out.  The second time it was Bob’s turn, he acted out a couple of words and everyone eagerly guessed them.  By the third time around, he was fully participating.

Some of the cards are easy to act out and have people guess.  Rain.  Crow.  Jackhammer.  Others are more complicated.  Burglar. Scuba Diver.  I drew one card that had everyone laughing so hard they couldn’t guess the answer.  Going into labor.  They guessed giving birth, but I was trying to get them to say labor.  In order to play this game you have to leave your inhibitions behind.

That Sound Game was developed by an Australian couple during Covid lockdown.  They did a great job inventing a game that is simple but fun for a lot of diverse groups.  I could see playing this at a retreat, as an icebreaker for a work meeting, or with your family.  They also sell two expansion packs.  One is x-rated, so I won’t be buying that.  But the other is all one-point cards, so I think that would be a great addition.

If you like to play party games with others, That Sound Game is a great addition.  I am looking forward to playing it again.