Coworker Games, home Start a party

Host guide

Run a team game on Zoom, Teams or Meet

Stay on the call. Paste one link. Everyone plays in their own browser tab, so nobody shares a screen and nobody installs anything.

Start a party How to play Double Booked

At a glance

Time
about 10 minutes, start to finish
You need
a browser tab each
Players
3–16, plus an audience of up to 100
Price
free, no sign-up

Four steps

  1. 1

    Start a party

    Press Start a party, pick a name and a mascot. You get a room with a four-letter code, and you’re the VIP: the person who runs the room.

  2. 2

    Paste the invite in your call chat

    Press Copy invite message and paste it into the chat. It’s a short note with the link, ready to send. Prefer your own words? Copy invite link works too.

  3. 3

    Wait for the lobby to fill

    Names appear as people arrive. Double Booked needs three players. Pick Short (about 6 minutes) or Standard, and leave “Prompts for” on Any team unless everyone is an engineer.

  4. 4

    Press Start

    Patch, the rubber-duck host, explains the rules on everyone’s screen. Keep talking on the call. The laughing happens out loud.

Where to paste the link

The same link works anywhere people can read it. If someone joins late and misses it, paste it again.

  • Zoom

    Open Chat from the toolbar, set the recipient to Everyone, paste, send.

  • Microsoft Teams

    Open the meeting chat from the toolbar, paste, send. Everyone in the meeting sees it.

  • Google Meet

    Open the in-call messages panel (the chat bubble), paste, send.

  • Slack or any other chat

    Post it in the channel or the huddle thread. It’s an ordinary link.

You don’t need to share your screen

Many party games run on the host’s computer, so the host shares a screen and everyone else squints at a laggy stream. Here the game runs in each player’s own tab. Your screen share stays free for the call, video stays smooth, and nobody has to describe what’s happening on a screen they can’t read.

You can still share your screen for the final scoreboard if you like. The game works exactly the same either way.

What to say, and what to paste

Say it out loud, then paste. Nobody has to read instructions.

Say

“I’ve put a link in the chat. Open it in a new tab, pick a name and a mascot, then come back to the call. We start when everyone’s in. It takes about ten minutes.”

Paste (what Copy invite message copies)

Join our team game: https://coworkergames.com/BKTF

Open it in a browser tab, pick a name, and stay on the call. Takes 30 seconds.

If someone can’t join

The link doesn’t open
Check the whole link pasted, including the four-letter code. Or open coworkergames.com and type the code into the join box.
Their company network blocks it
It’s an ordinary HTTPS website, so it almost always works. If their company only allows approved sites, they can ask IT to add coworkergames.com, or join from a phone on mobile data.
Their browser crashed, or they closed the tab
They open the same link in the same browser. Their seat is waiting, and so is their half-typed answer.
The room says it’s full
Sixteen players is the cap. Everyone else joins the audience, watches, and votes on every matchup. They get a seat in the next game if one is free.
Someone arrives after the game started
They join the audience for the game in progress and play the next one.

More than 16 people?

  • Use the audience

    Up to 16 play and up to 100 more vote. The audience counts as one extra vote, and they see everything the players see.

  • Or run two rooms

    Split a department into two rooms of ten, play at the same time, and compare winners on the call.

Pick the length for the meeting

  • Short, about 6 minutes

    One round plus the final. Good before an agenda or a Monday kickoff.

  • Standard, 8 to 12 minutes

    Two rounds plus the final. Good for a social or a welcome. Play again if people ask.

  • Extended timers

    Doubles the clock for phone typists and big groups. Turn it on in Settings.

Questions

Do I need to share my screen to host?

No. The game runs in each player’s own browser tab. Stay on the call for faces and voices, and paste the invite link in the chat. Nobody watches a shared screen of the game.

Who runs the room?

The person who starts the party is the VIP. They pick the length and the prompts, and press Start. They play like everyone else. If the VIP drops off for more than 20 seconds, the role passes to whoever has been connected longest.

Can people play on their phones?

Yes. Every screen works on a phone. Suggest a laptop for the best experience, and turn on Extended timers if lots of people are typing on phones.

How long does it take to set up?

About a minute: start the party, paste the invite, wait for people to arrive. The game itself takes six to twelve minutes.

Ready when you are.

Start a party. It takes about 30 seconds.

Start a party