Having game nights with friends is a great pastime; however, we have recently been confined to our homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online gaming is certainly the way to go, and the options are endless. For those of you who still crave to be sociable with your family and friends, there are many ways that you can interact without feeling like you are kilometres away.
Virtual gaming parties can be a great way to take up some free time at home and connect with others again. Here are 10 of the most fun games for your next virtual gaming party.
House Party
This app allows you to play all the same games you would if you were hosting a physical house party. The app includes games such as trivia and separated chat rooms for each “room†of your house. When a friend becomes available, they can join your room chat or participate in some general knowledge questions. There is a limit of eight people to one house party so be sure to invite your best friends that will rock up to the chat.
Virtual Hunts
Scavenger hunts were popular for many children growing up and even adults have put their spin into the mix. You could set up a “Catch the Killer†scenario where you and your friends have to solve riddles, find clues and beat teammates to be the best detective. Watson Adventures offers various experiences to choose from, all in one app. There are preloaded mysteries and adventures to embark on with your friends and family for a very reasonable fee.
Gambling Night
Poker, roulette, blackjack you name it. What’s better than taking your friends and family’s money with a fun gambling night? There are so many options to play casino games online and South Africa is the second-largest market share in the industry. If you are interested in setting up a casino night, click here to create your free account. Play Live is the most popular online casino in South Africa and you can choose from over 1300 different titles. You get added sign-up bonuses and Play Live is compatible with all Android, iOS, Microsoft, and Apple platforms.
Cook-Off
This virtual gaming party is completely interactive, fun and there is a time limit. The group chooses one recipe that everyone will cook, and in each of your separate homes, you have a cook-off to see who can follow the recipe the quickest. Choose something simple like a roasted chicken. Obviously, you won’t be able to taste your opponent’s recipe but you can hit two birds with one stone and have dinner prepared with fun.
Snap Chat
This app is not only handy for taking pictures with funny filters, but it also has loads of games that you can play. If you and your friends are bored but can’t think of anything to play, look for the rocket icon on the right-hand side of the chat. There are seven different games to choose from. You can challenge your friend to a multiplayer racing game or survive a zombie apocalypse together.
Remote Card Games
This can include poker, rummy, or trivial pursuit in their online forms. One great and extremely fun option is Cards Against Humanity. Be careful who you play with though, as each card is specially designed with phrases that are only suitable to adults and those with a sense of humour. Even the rules of the game are quite hilarious to read and you can get plenty of fun out of them. The rules state that the person who last took a number two starts the first round but, if Hugh Jackman is playing, he automatically starts first. The objective of the game is to make the most outrageous statement or answer with a white card, based on the black cards other players have dealt.
Two Truths and a Lie
A game with a premise based on lying may be too easy if you know your friends and family well. If anyone is hiding any secrets, now will be the time to find them out. Each player has to tell two true things and one that is a complete lie. You can customise how the points work, by having people take a shot of alcohol or lose a point if you fool them. If the group calls you out on your lie, you have to drink or lose a point.
Go Old School
Older gamers will remember the popular Mario Kart and Sonic the Hedgehog. You can now play these games online and many options are free to download. You can have a nostalgia night with friends and family by challenging each other to races or who can collect the most coins. Some online applications have built-in emulators that make the game look like it was back in the 90s when most people first played these old games.
General Knowledge
This is an old-school game usually played with just a piece of paper and a pencil. Now you can play this game digitally. You put down each letter of the alphabet into the system that will randomly select one letter for each round. Then you have a minimum of five categories in which everyone must come up with the name for something using that letter. For example, if you have cars, books, countries, animals, and food, each person must think of those categories using the letter randomly selected. This one is especially difficult when you get the rarer letters of the alphabet like Q and X.
Pictionary
Pictionary is usually quite funny because a lot of people can’t draw very well. To make it even more difficult, playing Pictionary online means you have to use the mouse to draw which is much harder. There are free online options available with items already chosen for you, but you can just open up a drawing app on your computer or phone and go crazy.
Virtual gaming parties may soon become the new normal way of interacting with friends and family. To keep ourselves active, we should be communicating with our loved ones often, and these virtual games are just some of the many awesome options available for your next game night.