This yCrash retreat game is so close to my heart because I have been officially announced as the CEO of yCrash. Yes, you heard it right. But there is a twist and you will find out how I was named the CEO when you get to the end of this blog. There is some serious, yet hilarious twist waiting for you.
As you all know, during the retreat, when others are focused on the retreat itself, I focus only on the fun aspects for the team. It’s like my brain defaults into game mode or something. Whenever a retreat is announced, I start planning games, and this year was no different. But I wanted to take it to the next level. I thought that, like last year, I could plan some couples’ games, but it turned out that most of the members decided to ditch their spouses and enjoy the trip alone as imaginary bachelors and spinsters. Well, that didn’t stop me from planning the games. I took advantage of this and started taking inspiration from some of the famous games shows in the US and Canada that I love. One of them was Family Feud by Steve Harvey. Obviously I could not pull it off with the complete set up. So I gave it my own twist and called it yCrash Feud. Let me tell you how I pulled it off in the later sections.
Day 2: Where the Games Began
The games were hosted after the All Hands meeting held on the second day of the retreat, by both me and Abhigyan. After spending almost the entire day in back-to-back meetings and business discussions, we decided to gather at the same spot later that evening for some games. The fun didn’t stop with yCrash Feud, which I mentioned earlier, there were quite a few more lined up. If you’re curious to know what else we played, I suggest you keep reading. Next comes the more fun part.
yCrash Feud
As mentioned in the earlier section, this game was inspired by Steve Harvey’s Family Feud show. I decided that I would give it a twist and make it even more funny, and came up with some rules as well. So here’s what I did. I came up with 10 questions that we do at yCrash on a daily basis and gave them 4 options. The trick was simple but dangerous, you were not supposed to choose your answer, but the answer you thought most people in the room would choose. Basically, it was all about reading the room, not being honest. 😄
Everyone had two minutes to submit their answers before time was up. Once the answers were in, while my co-host Abhi read each question, I quickly sorted the responses for each question that were collected from the form (which was linked to an Excel spreadsheet… Thank God/Microsoft for spreadsheets), and announced the top answer. The ones who picked the top answers got 50 points, and the last pick got 10 points. This way, everyone got their own scores, and the one with the highest score earned the prestigious (and highly unofficial) title of Chief Feud Officer (CFO). And yes, the bragging rights were very real.
yCrash Dingbats
Next up was yCrash Dingbats, a game that tested how quickly we could think, and how confidently we could say the wrong answer out loud. The rules were simple. A Dingbat (a visual or text clue) was shown to the team, and each person got just a couple of chances to guess the hidden word or phrase. No whispering, no help, and definitely no Googling.
Correct answers earned points, funny wrong answers earned some too, and even wild guesses got points for creativity. The person with the highest score walked away with the very prestigious title of Master Decoder of yCrash (MDY) 🏆.
While Abhi and I sat back and comfortably hosted the game (and focused on scoring), we had a special volunteer helping us out. Ethan, Sandeep’s son, volunteered to hold up the Dingbat cards for the team, and he did an amazing job. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better helper.
If you’re curious to try this game yourself, we’ve also added a downloadable version of the Dingbat cards used during the retreat, just in case you want to recreate the chaos. 😄
👉 Click here to download the Dingbat cards
yCrash Bingo
Next came yCrash Bingo, but with a little twist. Instead of asking everyone to write five quirky facts about themselves, I asked each person to submit one unique fact about themselves, and the rest of the team had to guess who it was.
I read out the clues one by one, and the guessing began. Whoever guessed correctly first earned 50 points, the second got 40, and so on. If no one guessed it by the third clue, I would reveal the person behind the fact.
This game turned out to be surprisingly insightful. We learned that Sandeep could have been a professional chef, Sanjitha loves solving math problems, and Alagappan is a tennis player. While we were still processing all these hidden talents, Sainath dropped a clue that completely threw me off balance, and that’s when things got really interesting.
I must also mention that, last year as well, Sainath created a “Tinder” moment during the retreat games, which we recalled and laughed about. The game was even more fun, when Kousika didn’t know what was so unique about herself, that she needed help from her bestie, Prithi. But nothing gets past this host, and so I stopped them from discussing anything.
Brand-a-Team
Next came Brand-a-Team, where we split everyone into three teams. Each team had to come up with a brand-new product, create a name and slogan, and then pitch it to the rest of us. Some teams took the pitching very seriously, while others took the fun very seriously, and honestly, both approaches worked just fine.
By the end of it, there were laughs, over-the-top ideas, and a lot of creativity on display. End of the day, we all had fun, and that’s what really mattered. Here’s what each team presented:
Team A
Team B
Team C
Appreciation Circle
As a closing act for the day, I hosted this game. I asked each member to pick a name from the lot and handed them a small envelope and a note to write something for the person they picked. Everyone gave it back to me, and I acted as the messenger and shared it with the respective members. All were happy.
Winner Announcements & Certificates
Well, I’ve given you the list of games we played. Now, let me tell you who won what. While everyone won over each other, the games did give us some clear winners.
| Game Name | Winner (Bragging Rights goes to) | Title |
| yCrash Feud | Umayal | Chief Feud Officer (CFO) |
| yCrash Dingbats | Sandeep | Master Decoder of yCrash (MDY) |
| yCrash Bingo | Geetha | Chief People Decoder (CPD) |
| Brand-a-Team | Slappers Team | – |
The certificates were presented to the team by Ram on the last day of the retreat, and that was when he officially announced me as the CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) of yCrash. It was a proud moment for me. 😅
Late-Night Games: Fun Beyond the Schedule
Like every year, even this time, we all assembled at a teammate’s room for late-night games. That’s what makes the nights even more special. It is totally unofficial, and we are all completely in our own comfort zone. This year, we assembled at Bhupathi, Sainath, and Alagappan’s room. While some members were resting in their rooms, we were all playing card games, and a new game was introduced this year, which has officially become the retreat game. It is called Killer.
This game is basically about the police finding the killer before he or she murders the rest of the villagers. You might ask what is so funny about this. Here comes the fun part. The killer has to murder their victims by winking at them while the police are looking for them. You get two to three chances based on the team size, and if the police identify the killer before all the villagers are murdered, he or she wins. Else, the killer wins. Fun, isn’t it?
Let me say this. My stomach started aching while I write this because that’s how much we laughed that night. Thankfully, I was never the killer, but I was the police once, except I misidentified the killer because I was having too much fun.
Games on the Go: Bus Edition
Even the bus rides weren’t spared from games. On our way out, Ajaz took the lead and suggested a quick word association game. We split ourselves into two teams, the right side of the bus became Team 1, and the left side became Team 2. The theme was countries. Team 1 started with the alphabet A by naming a country, Team 2 followed with B, and so on.
Surprisingly, we managed a few rounds quite well, until we didn’t. Somewhere toward the end, things got completely mixed up, but that didn’t stop us from trying another round. This time, we confidently picked fruits as the theme, assuming it would be easier. Turns out, it wasn’t. We had to call it quits mid-game because it was way more difficult than expected.
On the way back to the airport, a smaller group of us jumped into a memory game, once again themed around fruits. Kousika, Sanjitha, Unni, Ethan, Aadhira, and I played along. Unni was out by the second round, and as the rounds progressed, the game only got tougher. But the fun never faded.
One moment that stood out was when Ethan passionately said passion fruit, and how he immediately teased Kousi when she said guava. Those little moments of laughter made the ride unforgettable and proved once again that some of the best memories are made when nothing is planned.
Why Games Matter at yCrash
At yCrash, games are never just about winning points or earning funny titles. They give us a chance to step away from our usual roles and see each other beyond work. During games, there’s no hierarchy, no job titles, just people laughing, thinking on their feet, and occasionally panicking over the simplest questions.
Games help break barriers in ways meetings never can. They spark conversations, bring out hidden talents, and sometimes even reveal sides of people we never knew existed. Whether it was guessing answers in yCrash Feud, decoding Dingbats, or laughing our way through Bingo, every game helped us connect a little more as a team.
More Than Just Games
Looking back, these games were about much more than fun. They created memories, strengthened bonds, and gave us moments we’ll probably laugh about long after the retreat. Some of the best conversations happened between games, after games, or while teasing someone for a wrong answer they confidently stood by.
These moments reminded us why retreats matter and why making space for fun is just as important as talking about work. Because at the end of the day, it’s these shared experiences, the laughter, the chaos, and the unexpected moments, that truly bring us closer as a team.
And honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Next time I will sharpen my memory