What The Zoom

There's a particular kind of collective energy that happens when a group of people is staring at the same confusing image, trying to work out what it is. What The Zoom bottles that feeling and makes it repeatable.

The progressive reveal mechanic is the key. Because the image starts as an unrecognisable abstract blur and slowly resolves into something familiar, there's a continuous "aha!" moment playing out in slow motion. Players who guess early get bragging rights; those who wait until it's obvious score less but still feel the satisfaction of the reveal. Both experiences are engaging.

Teams tell us it's one of the easiest activities to get people genuinely laughing within the first 30 seconds. That matters — laughter signals psychological safety, and a team that's relaxed and open collaborates better. Visual puzzles also tap into a different kind of intelligence than word-based games, which means people who aren't natural trivia champions can shine here.

Pre-meeting warm-ups: What The Zoom is ideal as a 5-minute opener before a workshop or planning session. The time pressure and competitive scoring keep energy high without requiring any explanation or team-building experience.

Small group sessions: The game shines most with 2–6 players, where you can share screens and react together in real time. The competitive element is more personal at smaller scales — you know exactly who beat you and by how much.

Cross-functional or unfamiliar groups: Because What The Zoom requires no prior knowledge of your colleagues and no personal disclosure, it's particularly good for groups who don't know each other well — new project teams, cross-department working groups, or guests at a company event.

Virtual social events: Pair a few rounds of What The Zoom with Team Quiz or The Range Game for a full virtual games night. The variety of game styles keeps the session fresh for an hour or more.

Brief the group on the speed bonus. New players often wait too long before guessing, not realising that early guesses score significantly more. A quick 30-second briefing on the scoring system changes behaviour and makes the game more competitive.

Choose images with the right difficulty curve. The best What The Zoom images are ones that look completely abstract when zoomed in but become obvious once revealed. Familiar objects from unusual angles work well — as do food, animals, and everyday objects. Very obscure or text-based images tend to frustrate rather than delight.

Run 5–10 rounds for the right length. Fewer than 5 rounds feels too short for a proper session; beyond 15 rounds, attention starts to drift. For a standalone warm-up, 5 rounds in around 5 minutes is the sweet spot.

Use it to break the ice with hybrid groups. Everyone staring at the same screen image creates a shared focus point that works well for hybrid teams — in-room and remote participants are looking at exactly the same thing, which creates more natural equality than discussion-based activities.

Create a What The Zoom game in Gatherilla, choose your image set and number of rounds, then share the join code. The game handles everything from image timing to scoring automatically — there's nothing for the host to manage mid-game beyond keeping the energy up.

If you're hosting a longer team social, we'd suggest pairing What The Zoom with one or two other activities. Browse all the available games to build a session that fits your group size and time.