Desert Island Scenarios
If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring? Teams discuss and debate which items to prioritize, revealing values and decision-making styles through this classic scenario.
20-35 min
4-20 people
medium
None needed
About This Game
Desert Island Scenarios is a thought-provoking icebreaker that uses a classic hypothetical situation to spark meaningful conversation. Participants imagine being stranded on a desert island and must choose a limited number of items to bring from a provided list. The magic happens in the discussion: as people debate priorities (survival vs. comfort, practical vs. emotional), they reveal their values, problem-solving approaches, and personality. This activity works as individual reflection followed by small group discussion, or as a full team consensus-building exercise. The desert island framework is familiar yet engaging, making it accessible for all team types while generating surprisingly deep insights.
Objectives
- Reveal individual values and priorities through item selection choices
- Practice articulating reasoning and persuading others respectfully
- Understand different problem-solving approaches within the team
- Build consensus skills through structured group decision-making
- Create memorable conversations that teams reference later
How to Run This Game
Facilitator Script:
"Imagine you're stranded on a deserted tropical island - not dangerous, but you'll be there for 6 months before rescue. I have a list of 15 items. You can bring 5 items total. Here's the list: knife, rope, matches, tarp, fishing gear, first aid kit, water purifier, solar charger, book, journal, hammock, sunscreen, cooking pot, blanket, and multi-tool. Take a moment to look at the full list."
Actions:
- Present the desert island scenario clearly
- Display the full list of 15 items where everyone can see
- Specify the constraint: choose exactly 5 items
- Clarify: items are well-made and durable
- Emphasize: there are no "wrong" answers
Tips:
- • Set the scene: tropical island, moderate climate, fresh water source exists, some edible plants, small wildlife
- • The 15-item list should include survival essentials, comfort items, and emotional support objects
- • For virtual: paste list in chat or show on screen
- • Make it clear this is about discussion, not winning
Facilitator Script:
"Take 5 minutes on your own to choose your personal top 5 items. Write them down and rank them 1-5, with 1 being most important. Think about why each item matters to YOU - survival? Comfort? Mental health? There's no right answer, just your honest priorities."
Actions:
- Give quiet individual thinking time
- Encourage writing down choices and brief reasoning
- Remind participants to rank their 5 items in order
- Walk around (if in-person) or monitor (if virtual) for anyone stuck
- Give 2-minute and 1-minute warnings
Tips:
- • Individual selection first prevents groupthink
- • Ranking items forces harder choices and reveals priorities
- • Some people will overthink - reassure them it's a game
- • Watch for interesting patterns: who picks practical vs. emotional items?
Facilitator Script:
"Now in groups of 3-4, share your choices. Take turns explaining: What did you pick and WHY? No need to agree - just understand each other's reasoning. You have 12 minutes for discussion."
Actions:
- Break into small groups of 3-4 people
- Each person shares their 5 items and reasoning (2-3 min per person)
- Encourage asking curious questions, not debating
- Monitor groups for balanced participation
- Give midpoint and 2-minute warnings
Tips:
- • For virtual: use breakout rooms with timer
- • Questions to prompt: "Why was that your #1?" "What surprised you about your own choices?"
- • Watch for people who prioritize survival vs. those who prioritize mental health - both valid
- • Some groups naturally debate - that's OK, but remind them to hear everyone first
Facilitator Script:
"Now here's the challenge: your small group must agree on ONE shared list of 5 items. Everyone must genuinely agree - no voting, no majority rule. You need true consensus. You have 10 minutes. Go!"
Actions:
- Explain consensus: everyone must truly agree, not just compromise
- Set 10-minute timer
- Observe discussion dynamics without interfering
- Watch for dominant voices or people giving in without real agreement
- Give warnings at 5 min, 2 min, 1 min
Tips:
- • This step is optional but reveals A LOT about team dynamics
- • True consensus is hard - that's the point
- • Watch for: who leads? Who persuades? Who stays quiet?
- • If time runs out without consensus, that's valuable data too
- • Encourage: "Can you find items that serve multiple purposes?"
Facilitator Script:
"Let's come back together. Each group: what were your final 5 items? More importantly - what was your process? What did you learn about yourselves and each other? Did anyone change their mind during discussion?"
Actions:
- Each group shares their final list (or where they got stuck)
- Focus questions on PROCESS not just results
- Ask: "What surprised you?" "What was hardest to agree on?"
- Highlight different approaches: survival-first vs. quality-of-life
- Connect insights to real team work
Tips:
- • The debrief is where the learning happens - don't rush it
- • Common insights: we prioritize differently, that's OK; hearing reasoning changes minds; consensus is hard
- • Ask: "How is this like challenges we face at work?"
- • Point out complementary thinking: "Team needs both practical planners AND morale boosters"
- • Some teams reference this activity for months: "We need the Swiss Army Knife person on this project"
Facilitator Tips
- The item list matters: include survival essentials (knife, rope, matches), comfort items (hammock, book), and borderline items that spark debate (journal? solar charger?)
- Watch for patterns: practical thinkers vs. emotional thinkers, optimists (bring book for enjoyment) vs. pessimists (focus on survival), planners vs. adaptors
- The most revealing moment is when someone changes their mind - ask them why
- Groups often split on: multi-tool vs. knife, book vs. journal, comfort items vs. pure survival
- This activity is actually about values and decision-making, not desert islands - make that connection explicit in debrief
- Save the lists - refer back later: "Remember when Sarah said she'd bring the journal? That's why she's perfect for documenting our process."
- For ongoing teams, repeat in 6 months and see if choices change as people grow
Common Challenges & Solutions
Variations & Adaptations
Same concept but with zombie apocalypse theme. Choose 5 items for surviving in an abandoned city. Items list: baseball bat, canned food, medical supplies, radio, map, flashlight, bicycle, crowbar, duct tape, water bottles, sleeping bag, walkie-talkie, rope, backpack, matches.
You're living on a space station for a year. Choose 5 personal items to bring (basic survival provided). Focus on mental health, entertainment, connection to Earth.
You must work remotely from a cabin for 6 months. Choose 5 items to maintain productivity and wellbeing (internet/power provided). Reveals work style preferences.
After individual selection, assign each item a "value" (survival, comfort, mental health, connection, productivity). Analyze: does team prioritize survival or wellbeing?
teams have used this game