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📱 Emoji Story

Tell a story using only emojis!

Start adding emojis...

One person tells a story using only emoji and everyone else works out the plot. It is quick, needs no preparation, and works particularly well remotely.

Constraint is what makes it funny. Emoji are imprecise enough that the gap between what was meant and what was understood is usually the entertainment.

How to run it

  1. One person composes a short story in emoji only.
  2. Post it for the group without explanation.
  3. Everyone guesses what the story describes.
  4. The author reveals it and the next person takes a turn.

Running it well

  • Set a category, such as films or well-known events, or the guessing becomes impossible.
  • Limit the emoji count to keep stories readable, around six to ten.
  • Let wrong guesses stand rather than correcting immediately. The wrong interpretations are usually funnier.
  • Keep turns short. Two or three rounds is enough before the format wears thin.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work for remote teams?
Particularly well. It runs entirely in a chat window, needs no video, and includes people who are reluctant to speak on camera.
How do I stop it being too hard?
Set a category such as films, songs, or common phrases. Without one, an emoji story is close to unguessable.
How many emoji should a story use?
Around six to ten. Fewer gives too little to work with, and more becomes difficult to read as a sequence.