Covid-19 and the global pandemic caught the entire world off guard. Needless to say, our entire lives were suddenly flipped upside down. Even the most mundane of things now needed to be handled differently. The lockdown and social distancing affected us all quite a bit.
However, thanks to modern technology, people still found a way to nurture their social interactions – just not in a way they used to. So, with the global pandemic, messaging and video call apps suddenly gained much more traffic. And, aside from this, people found a way to still enjoy spending time with their friends and family – together but still apart. So, with that in mind, here are some unusual social games you can try out during the pandemic and still have some fun with your friends.
Drink Talk Learn (DTL)
This popular game was invented by students at Canada’s University of Waterloo and is not only super easy to play but it’s also super fun. In order to play this fun game, you will need some sort of a video call platform, a group of friends or family members, some drinks and a bit of research. Every participant is supposed to prepare a presentation on a certain topic. The topic can be whatever they choose. Contestants will have 3 minutes to deliver their presentation. Every minute they overstep their time limit will result in “drinking points”. So, for every minute they go over, they will need to drink up. Of course, if you or your friends don’t feel comfortable drinking alcohol, you can always resort to non-alcoholic beverages instead.
Scavenger hunt – with a twist
Another fun and favorite game that can easily be adjusted to the new situation we’re in is the scavenger hunt. Of course, this popular outdoor game will need to be tweaked to fit into the new settings, but the same old rules can still apply. The person in charge of the game can determine the time span – let’s say 3 minutes again – in which the contestants need to find and collect certain objects. For instance, you can send your friends on a scavenger hunt to collect as many blue items as they can in the time span you’ve previously determined. To keep the game engaging and fun, don’t over complicate the things your friends need to locate and try to keep the amount of time they have to do so short. That way all of you can have the opportunity to send others on the hunt as well.
I Spy
I Spy is a fun game you can literally play at any time and age. Even though people call this one a kids’ game, it really doesn’t have to be. For instance, you can choose to tell a story about a certain object – without saying what the object is or showing it to your friends, and have them guess what it is. Alternatively, you can try to describe an object you see at one of your friends’ house and the rest of the crowd can then try to guess what object you’re talking about and in which friend’s house is it located at.
Games for history buffs
If you and your friends are true history buffs, you can always try to get your hands – or try your luck – in some historically accurate games. For instance, there are plenty of fun medieval gambling games you can try out and get a taste of the times long gone. Alternatively, you can choose to have a quiz night where one of you will need to prepare questions in advance and the rest of you can compete who will answer the questions the fastest or who will give the most accurate answer.
Online shopping games
Now more than ever before the entire world seems to have shifted to the online realm. What this means is that online shopping is nowadays more convenient than it ever was. So, you and your friends can organize a fun little game of sort of an online shopping scavenger hunt. For instance, you can all choose a person you’ll be buying stuff for. The person then needs to give you guidelines on what you’re shopping for. As an example, you can make an online thrift store scavenger hunt, where you’ll ask the person buying things for you to look for an oversized hoodie, a pair of comfy sweats and a funky t-shirt. Once the person buys the items, they can then send them to the person they’re buying them for. In the end, you can also schedule a “runway show” once all the packages are delivered and share with each other what you got for each other.
Online charades
Just because all of you can be physically in the same room, that doesn’t mean you can’t play charades online. See when all of your friends are free and organize a charades night! Since most likely all of you have some sort of a camera and video call program or app, you can easily have some fun playing this favorite game, even though all of you are staying in your respective homes.
Just because we are currently physically apart, that doesn’t mean we can’t still stay connected with our friends and family. The more we are willing to find a way to still enjoy spending some time together, the less alone and lonely we will feel. So, stop looking for excuses and give some of these fun yet unusual social games a go!
