The game guide · Empathy
How to play Listen to the Sequence
Attend to the whole sequence before offering your response. Watch a sequence of numbered pads, then repeat it in the same order. The lights offer a small attention challenge that you can connect with a personal thought.
Your starting point
Attend to the whole sequence before offering your response.
The rules
Watch the numbered pads light up. When it is your turn, tap the pads in the same order. Follow the displayed feedback and replay if needed.
A helpful approach
Watch the whole pattern before tapping. Remembering it as two smaller groups can make the sequence easier to follow on the next attempt. Notice the difference between the information you have been given and the story you might be assuming around it.
After the game
What helped you notice the order without needing to rush? What respectful question could help you understand someone’s experience without deciding their feelings or needs for them?
There is no need to turn a small moment into a perfect performance. Play again if you want to explore it, or leave it here and take the thought into your day.
The feeling behind it
Listen before deciding what someone must feel. Make room for a perspective that is different from your own.
A women’s storytelling tradition inspires attention to perspective. These games are original and do not reproduce Hikaye tales.
Read our empathy story, inspired by Palestinian Hikaye in Palestine. The UNESCO: The Palestinian Hikaye provides the source context.
Share the invitation
I am here to listen, without writing your story for you. Try Listen to the Sequence with me, if you fancy a little empathy today.
If someone comes to mind, send them a game they might enjoy. Add your own words, let them choose whether to play, and keep private details out of a public link.