Hosting a game night at home can be a great way to get together with friends and catch up. Compared to an all-out party, a casual game night is usually more intimate, provides more opportunities to have in-depth conversation with guests, and, best of all, takes way less effort to organize and clean up after.
Looking for some advice when it comes to setting up a game night? Then you’re in the right place. If you are in need of some extra help, you can Click here to learn more about games you may enjoy playing with family and friends, as well as find out about a few gaming advantages that can give you that edge. Because you are here, it would be good to check out our tips for how to have the ultimate game night at home.
Invite the right number of people
When planning a game night, it’s always important to consider how many people you’ll be inviting over. Why is this so important? Because the number of guests who attend your game night will be one of the major determining factors when it comes to what kind of games you can play, how much food you should prepare, and what the overall experience will be like.
First off, you don’t want to make the mistake of inviting too many people to game night. Although you may think that inviting as many people as possible will only add to the fun, this is simply not the case. Most board games and card games are designed to be played by only a few people. And even if you find a game that can accommodate a large number of people, think about how long a round of turns will take, or how frustrating it can be to explain the rules of a new game to a large group.
It’s also just a matter of physical space. If you live in a small apartment, then flooding your living space with people probably won’t make for a great time. Even if you live in a home with plenty of square footage, having too many people over can still prove to be a problem. After all, you want everyone to be able to comfortably share one space where they can clearly communicate and hear one another.
On the other hand, you want to invite enough people where you’re still able to socialize and catch up with friends. While playing Go Fish with one other person may be a good time in its own right, it’s probably not the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a game night. So, ideally, aim to invite around five or six people to ensure your game night is fun and social without being too overcrowded.
Create a fun atmosphere
While the games you choose for game night are important, they aren’t the only thing that makes a great game night. In order to have the ultimate game night at home, you have to create an awesome atmosphere that makes your guests feel comfortable and carefree.
To create the perfect atmosphere for game night, you’ll need to turn your focus to the specific area where you and your guests will be playing games. Whether it’s the living room, the dining room, or somewhere else in your home, make sure to prepare the space before your guests arrive. If you don’t have enough seating in a given space, then you may have to bring in a few spare chairs or move some furniture around. Arrange the seating so that everyone is able to easily face each other and converse with one another throughout the night.
If you regularly host game night at your home, then it might be a good idea to invest in a few items that will definitely come in handy. For example, getting a game table and chairs will make it so that you always have ample playing space and comfortable seating when game night comes around.
Make sure to have refreshments on hand
One could argue that drinks and snacks are just as important as the games themselves when it comes to hosting game night at home. Almost everyone appreciates having something to munch on in case they get a little hungry between turns.
As far as food goes, you don’t necessarily have to spend all day in the kitchen getting ready for game night. Instead, try and keep it simple — get some salty snacks like chips, pretzel crisps, or nuts, and put those out in a bowl. Then you can either buy some dip to go with your snacks, or take ten minutes and make some simple homemade guacamole.
You don’t have to get too complicated with the drinks, either. For a 21+ game night, you can do something as simple as bringing out beer, liquor, and mixers. If you want to go the fancier route, however, then consider making a tasty party punch with flavored vodka. Conversely, for a non-alcoholic game night, crack open a few liters of soda and put out a pitcher of water — you can still make punch if you want, too, just leave out the vodka.
A game night at home is always a fun way to spend time with friends, engage in conversation, and share some laughs. And, with the above tips in mind, your game night is bound to be a success!
