The game guide · Empathy
How to play Pause Before Advice
Arrange a listening response without jumping to a solution. Put the numbered steps into ascending order. This small sequencing puzzle gives an everyday theme a clear beginning and finish, with room to consider what the steps suggest.
Your starting point
Arrange a listening response without jumping to a solution.
The rules
Tap the numbered steps from smallest to largest. Each correct tap adds a step to your journey. If a step is out of order, use the feedback to find the next number.
A helpful approach
Find the smallest number first, then look for the next one before tapping. The ordered trail keeps completed steps visible while you choose what comes next. Notice the difference between the information you have been given and the story you might be assuming around it.
After the game
Which real task would feel clearer if you named only its next small step? 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 Pause Before Advice 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.