Now What? – Practice 8: Find the Game
This article is part of a 12-part series on improv lessons for life.
I spent years training, performing, and teaching improv comedy in Las Vegas. Six nights a week on stage, in front of live audiences, I learned what it really takes to survive when everything goes off script. And later, as a teacher and coach, I saw how those same skills helped people far beyond the stage—leaders, teams, even whole companies.
This series pulls together the best of what I learned in that season of my life. Twelve practices from improv that will center you when life throws you a curveball.
What “Game” Means in Improv
The idea of “game” in improv can feel a little squishy. Sometimes you just know it when you see it.
Most of my training came through The Second City, but I also studied at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) in New York City. UCB in particular is famous for emphasizing “game.”
At its simplest, from the audience’s perspective, the game is the thing in a scene that recurs and is funny. It could be a situation, a phrase, a problem, or even a physical action. But the repetition is the game. And the game is the funny.
UCB breaks it down like this:
Step 1: Find the first unusual thing.
Early in a scene, notice what stands out as strange, surprising, or interesting compared to a normal situation. (Example: a boss insisting all meetings must be held in the office bathroom.)
Step 2: Define it.
Make it clear what that unusual behavior or idea is, so both players and the audience recognize it.
Step 3: Heighten the game.
Explore the unusual thing by repeating and escalating it in new ways. Push it further, but stay grounded in the scene’s logic. (The boss later insists conference calls happen from stalls or asks the intern to hang a projector above the urinals.)
Step 4: Play the pattern.
The scene becomes about the dynamic created by that unusual thing. Everything else serves the game.
Finding the Game in Life
When life goes off script, we usually aren’t trying to be funny. But we are still trying to make sense of what’s happening. And that’s where “finding the game” helps.
It starts with noticing the first unusual thing. Something that stands out. Something that feels different, surprising, maybe even a little out of left field—but also intriguing or life-giving.
That’s your clue. Maybe it’s an idea, a new relationship, a side project, a conversation, or an opportunity that grabs your attention. The question is: could this be a new path for me? A new chapter beginning?
Step two is to define it. Analyze what’s in front of you. What makes you curious? Why does this feel alive? Is it just a distraction, or is there something deeper pulling you forward?
If it feels like more than a distraction, move to step three: heighten the game. Play with it. Test it. If someone asked you to write an article and it felt right, maybe start your own blog. If you volunteered at a camp and loved it more than expected, try serving somewhere else too. Explore. Stretch. See if momentum builds.
And finally: play the pattern. If your passion grows and this new “game” keeps giving life, commit. Make a real choice. It might mean a big step like a new job, a degree program, or a marriage proposal. Or it could mean something smaller but still tangible—like volunteering weekly, writing every morning, or telling your boss the truth about how you’re doing.
At some point, the only way to find out if the game is truly yours is to step out of secrecy and commit to something.
Why It Matters
Finding the game is what makes improv funny on stage. But in life, it’s what makes you open, curious, and alive. It reveals patterns you might’ve missed. It helps you notice the unusual things that could become the very center of your next chapter.
The game is about paying attention. It’s about recognizing when something new might be worth leaning into.
And it’s about giving that “unusual thing” enough room to show you what it could become.
The way you put it lands. In improv the game is that odd spark that won’t quit. In life it’s the moment you almost overlook because it doesn’t fit the script. Magdalene didn’t linger at the tomb out of habit. She stayed because the crack in reality was calling her. That’s the trick—what feels off might be the door.