Name & Purpose People Machine is a creative, physical, no-equipment team game. Each team turns their bodies into a working machine β with moving parts, connected motion, and sound effects. It builds creative collaboration, physical coordination, and playful risk-taking.
a.k.a. Living Machine, Body Gears
Age Band / Group Size / Time / Space Ages 8β16 | 8β32 participants in teams of 4β8 | 20β30 minutes | Any open indoor or outdoor space large enough for teams to rehearse without overlapping
Materials
- None required
- Optional: a timer for prep phases
Quick-Run Card
- Split into even teams of 4β8.
- Brief the challenge: “Build a machine out of your bodies. Every person is a moving part. The machine has motion, connection, and sound.”
- Give teams 5 minutes to design and rehearse.
- Teams perform one at a time. Other teams watch and then guess: what machine is it?
- The presenting team reveals their answer. Rotate until all teams have performed.
Setup & Boundaries
- Give each team a clearly defined rehearsal zone β separate enough that teams cannot overhear each other’s plans.
- Remind teams: all movement stays within their rehearsal area; no running across the space.
- All physical connections between players must be consensual β no grabbing another person without their agreement.
- There is no “right” machine type. Wild and creative answers are just as valid as realistic ones.
How to Play Teams huddle and design their machine. Every team member must be a moving part β no one stands still and watches. The machine must have: (1) continuous repeating motion, (2) physical or visual connection between parts, and (3) sound (mechanical, electrical, whooshing β anything). After 5 minutes of prep, teams present in order. Watching teams try to guess the machine before the reveal. After all teams perform, run an optional second round where teams build a wilder, more creative machine.
I-OPt Roles Within each team, at least three roles operate simultaneously:
- Designer β proposes the machine concept and overall structure.
- Connector β works out how body parts link together physically.
- Sound director β assigns and coordinates the sounds for each part. Teams may divide these differently; the roles are guides, not rules.
Inclusion Supports
- Participants who use wheelchairs or mobility aids can be a central “engine” or “power source” part β their movement drives the machine conceptually even if physically limited.
- Participants with sensory sensitivities can choose their own physical role and connection type β they decide how they connect to the machine (touching, near-touching, mirroring).
- Teams with mixed ability levels often produce the most creative machines β frame this as a feature, not a problem.
- If a participant does not want to perform in front of others, they can be the team’s “machine operator” who narrates while others perform.
Stewardship No materials to clean up. 30-second reflection: “Name one part of your machine that only worked because of someone else’s idea.”
Consent Pre-brief: “This game involves physical connection between team members β touching hands, linking arms, being close together. Before your team builds anything, check in with each other: what types of connection are everyone comfortable with?” Mid-game check-in: During prep time, circulate among teams. Watch for any participant who looks disengaged or uncomfortable and check in quietly. Opt-out / re-entry: A participant who does not want physical contact takes the “narrator” or “machine operator” role. They rejoin as a physical part whenever they choose.
Risks & Mitigation
| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted physical contact during machine building | Low | Consent pre-brief; teams check in with each other before linking |
| A team feels their machine is “worse” than others | Low | Frame guessing as fun, not judging; celebrate all machines equally |
| Participant feels left out of design decisions | Medium | Facilitator watches team dynamics; remind teams all voices count |
Warm-Up Suggestions
- “One-word story machine”: stand in a circle, build a story one word at a time β gets group into collaborative, building mindset.
- “Mirror”: pairs mirror each other’s movements β primes connected, synchronised body awareness.
Debrief What? “What did your team decide first? How did the plan change between the idea and the performance?” So what? “What made a machine look like it was working? What does that tell us about teamwork?” Now what? “In a group project at school or camp, what’s the equivalent of the ‘sound’ β the thing that shows the group is actually working together, not just going through the motions?”
Cleanup & Reset No materials to collect. Return teams to a central circle for debrief.
