44 – The Family Gamers Podcast – Hosting a Game Night
What do you do if you have been trying to get a group together to play boardgames, and suddenly you have more players than one game can fit? Host a game night, of course!
Video games we’ve been playing:
Zelda, Zelda, Zelda… also Disney Infinity and Pokemon. We are excited to start playing some more couch co-op soon: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (free for PS+ members in April!) and Overcooked.
Check out the Ubongo puzzle challenge app – free on iTunes Store and Google Play but only Friday 4/28 – Sunday 4/30!
Board games we’ve been playing:
Gruff: here’s the full version (recommended), and here’s the “starter pack” called Clash of the Battle Goats.
And we revisited an old favorite, Quarriors
See our Facebook page for the story about Lanterns. Playing games isn’t always about winning. It can just be about a beautiful experience, or watching a game come together in a satisfying way.
Tips for hosting a game night
If your group is not made up of “gamers”, explain that this is to have fun and socialize – a dinner party where the entertainment is games.
Pick games that are short (under 1 hr) and easy to teach. Encourage your friends to bring games!
Examples: Battle Sheep, Monopoly Deal, cooperative games like Forbidden Island, Castle Panic; party games like Duple or Apples to Apples; or lighter Euro-style games that are easy to teach like Ticket to Ride and Catan.
Have a person prepared to teach each game (G2S handled this with developer alley and “Teacher wanted” signs). If you are doing this with children, be prepared to put on a bit of show and get them into the theme of the game.
We digress briefly: Gamewright Game Nights are an awesome way to fundraise for your school. Run a game night, sell the games, keep half the profit! Everyone wins.
How to handle the problem of game-has-ended-but-no-new-games-to-join? Depends on the size of the group. Our recommendation is to keep everyone in the same room as much as possible in a home-based party, or for larger groups, have a continuously running party game that encourages drop-in, drop-out gameplay.
And that’s the show! Don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and until next week… play games with your kids!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:22 — 26.9MB)