Let me help you trigger your first existential crisis. Think about all the times you've had to wait in your life. It could be in lines for a concert, Starbucks, or the new iPhone 7 (which had an insanely large line in Denmark). It could be sitting on the street as you wait for an Uber, on the only bench in any American Eagle store, or on a train that doesn't have a restroom. Add all those minutes and hours of boredom together to get the amount of time you spend waiting your life away. Kinda depressing? Well we can change that! Here are some games you can play with a friend if you're bored out of your mind in public.
1. Speaking for the Actors
This game is basically dubbing real life. For this game, you have to be observing some high traffic area like a sidewalk or subway station. Some pedestrians will be walking alone, but others won't. As you observe these people, create the conversation they are having OR the thoughts they are having with a friend. It's kinda like that scene from "Ted" where Ted is voicing the fish at the aquarium, except with this game, the fish are the people walking by.
2. Abstract "I Spy"
It's like "I Spy," but using abstract nouns. "I spy with my little eye, something wise," and bam, there's a sign to your left with an owl on it. It can be simple, but simplicity solely depends on how abstract you wish to play the game. Like art, objects around can be interpreted differently, which can make this game difficult, especially when your friend thinks that a folding chair in a dumpster is beautiful.
3. Life Swap
This is the game that the main character in "It Follows" plays with her boyfriend. It's sorta self-explanatory, you pick somebody out of a crowd you'd want to switch with and have the other person guess who it is and why. It can be anyone, from a kid to a dog to even an inanimate object after you agree on the rules.
4. Clue
It's basically a real-life version of Clue. Pick someone from a crowd to be a killer, then pick their murder weapon, which is something the "murderer" has access to. Then tell your partner the scenario and location of the murder and see if they can guess the murderer and the murder weapon.
5. Rename
Look at the signs, places, and things around you and rename them. This is especially fun at a museum or some sort of guided tour. I played this at Yellowstone Park with a friend, and we renamed all the geysers around Old Faithful, the likes of which included "Toddler Stew" and "Suicide Pact." So yeah, have fun with it, and as always, the darker the better.
6. Zombies
In the moment, you are at peace and at rest. But WHAT IF zombies suddenly emerged from the crowd? What would you do? Do you have a game plan? Create one with your friend starting from where you're seated. Be sure to add some hilariously clever zombie kills for bonus points to add to all the gore.
7. Animation
Look around you and spot all the inanimate objects, like fire hydrants (yeah, you've probably never noticed but those things still exist), stoplights, signs, chairs, and other objects. What would happen if those things suddenly came to life? What would they do? What would they say? How would you interact with them? Build this new obscure world.
8. Song Mixing
One player sings a song, any song, with emphasized lyrics. The other person has to start singing a different song, BUT they can only start when their song has a word that overlaps with the song being sung. For example, "Billie Jean is not my lover, she's just a girl who claims that I am the..." "ONE MORE TIME." If you sound like a duck being strangled by a fishing line when you sing, DON'T PLAY THIS GAME. That's why I don't.
9. That Game Where You Walk into the Middle of the Crowd, Start Seizing and Proclaim Your Devotion to the Spaghetti God
10/10 would recommend.
10. BE A HUMAN BEING AND TALK TO PEOPLE GODDAMMIT
There are seven billion people on this planet, and every single one of them knows something you don't or have experienced something you haven't. Look at that person sitting next to you in the eye and... Never mind, there's no use preaching when you are probably sitting in the middle of some crowded area reading this article on your iPhone. But hey, the internet has always been used for killing time, so I understand.
