Fun Things To Do in Class
After the initial novelty of starting new classes, meeting new professors and friends, finding your new classrooms, and buying ridiculously overpriced textbooks, things start to slow down. Sometimes, usually during a really boring afternoon lecture, things can seem to stop completely. The professor’s voice melts into the din of the air conditioner. Eyes glaze over. Heads nod. Mouths trail drool across notebooks.
This kind of boredom can be hazardous to your education. It can become a self-perpetuating spiral of boredom, disinterest, and poor performance. Subjects that you otherwise would have mastered become a black mark on your academic record.
Don’t let this happen to you! Beat boredom in the classroom before it ruins your life. Take a moment to resuscitate your mental faculties with some fun and games. Your career is depending on it!
Following are five fun games you can play under the radar during lecture, in addition to the host of online games available. Some are old school, some high tech. All are guaranteed to break the boredom cycle and renew your love of learning without getting caught by the professor:
1. Stick Man Kung Fu Battle
Anyone can draw a stick man. To launch a fight sequence worthy of Jet Li, both people start with a simple stick figure each. They then take turns striking at the other person. Weapons and armor can be added, but adding a piece of armor or weaponry takes up a turn. Each stickman is as immortal as imagination allows- you know, using force fields, regrowing severed limbs, etc. The action can literally continue indefinitely, certainly for an hour of class time.
Be careful of a few things. Keep your sound effects and soundtrack to a minimum. Also, do not get so excited that you exclaim out loud or otherwise alert the professor to your activities. If you have to trashtalk, just write it down. Keep it on the down low, and let the smackdown continue.
2. Cell Phone Shame
Any college student knows that cell phones have become public enemy number of self-important college professors everywhere. One’s ring tone going off in the middle of lecture first brings a raised eyebrow of contempt from the professor. A second ring can halt the lecture altogether. A third may bring a verbal rebuke from the professor and a permanent place on his naughty list. Students, however, can capitalize on this new social faux pas.
To get the action started, call an unsuspecting friend across the room. If she has forgotten to turn off her ringer, her phone will chirp loudly, incurring the disgusted glare of the professor. She will quickly deactivate the ringer and shoot you a dirty look. Continue this attack on every student across the room until every face is red with embarrassment and the professor has completely lost his composure. Be careful, however; if you are discovered, the professor will most certainly make an example of you.
3. Passing Notes
Old-fashioned? Yes. Out of style? Never. Of course, you can opt for a simple scrap of paper or just use text or instant messenger. You can trashtalk, make fun of people in the room, ask people if they think your friend is cute, ask them what their favorite My Little Pony is, ask them who their favorite New Kid on the Block is, etc.
4. Capture (aka Boxes or Dots)
For the more strategy-minded people out there, this game is a classic. Best of all, you can play it with a simple pen and paper. Just draw a grid of dots- the more, the better. The players take turns drawing a line between two adjacent dots with the goal of creating squares. Every time they complete a square, the player marks that square with their initials. The player with the most squares finished at the end is the winner.
5. Laser Pointer
Hazardous schmazardous! Those little ruby-red dots are guaranteed to generate laughs. Moving the dot around on people tends to be funny, especially when they can’t see it. Especially brave souls may want to try pointing at the professor or at the screen when his back is turned. Getting your friends in the eyes can be funny, but not for a prolonged period of time. Warning: do not point the laser in the eyes of people who are not your friends. That could get you beat up. Getting beat up is not fun. Another warning: do not point the laser in people’s eyes during a lecture on optical health.
What good is learning if you’re not having fun? Take some time to wake up and have a laugh. Then get back to work and remember, you didn’t hear it from me.
About the author
Marcus Varner earned his BA in English from Brigham Young University with a Creative Writing emphasis. He is currently in his second year at BYU’s lauded MBA program studying Marketing. He blogs, writes fiction and screenplays, loves movies, and can’t resist playing superheroes with his kids.
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Tags: boredom, college, games, humor, university
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January 24th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Haha, the laser pointer thing is like the first thing on everyone’s mind for classroom pranks. Never tried the Cell Phone Shame prank though, sounds like a good one!