Is there anything better than a game night with friends? Being able to sit around the table that’s laden with snacks, your favorite drinks, the room is a good temperature and you’ve got your favorite games piled up and ready to go is a fantastic way to spend the night.
Half of the excitement in Games night is in the planning, especially if you are creating brand new forest battle maps for Dungeons and Dragons or you are planning on using your special version of Monopoly this year. With the holidays approaching, it’s always fun to decide which games you should be playing on game night, and you need to have a night that everybody enjoys.
You want to make sure that the people you invite are the right people, but we’ve got some tips for you for a great game night so that you know that you’ve had a great time.
- Choose the right people. You cannot have a great game tonight without the right people coming along. Choose who you invite wisely, because you want people who are going to be interested in the same games that you are. You also want to make sure that if you’re playing a team game, you are inviting team players who know how to behave. It does make a difference if you invite people who are good at playing games, but you want to know that the people you want are there. Even if they don’t know how to play these specific games you’ve got going, that doesn’t mean you can’t invite them.
- Make sure to play in a good location. If you’re fortunate enough to have a basement or a games room dedicated to playing games, then you should use it. If not, the dining table in the kitchen or in the dining room is going to be a great idea. You have to ensure that your game tonight is going to be everything you want, so make sure that you’re playing location is where you want it to be.
- Plan your snacks. Are there any vegetarians or vegans in the group? If so, it might rule out chicken wings. Is there anybody coming who is allergic to something that could rule out whatever it is they’re allergic to? Easy snacks are an absolute must for any games tonight. They should be easy, like chips and dips or popcorn or easily cooked up finger foods. You shouldn’t make something overly elaborate because you want this game tonight to be casual and fun, not a dinner party. There is a very big difference and you have to learn that difference.
- Get the right drinks in. Now, we’re not suggesting you make this an alcohol fest, especially if you’re not into being a big drinker, which is absolutely fine if you’re not. You can bring drinks and beers if you have it. But whatever you decide to drink, make sure that you have a couple of coolers that are stacked with ice ready to keep them cold. Nobody wants to have to keep getting up and down to a fridge upstairs if you’re playing downstairs in the basement, right? That’s why we talked about location earlier, because you need to be able to play somewhere that everybody’s going to be comfortable and you can easily access drinks and snacks.
- Set the tone with some good music. Some people can’t pay attention to games if there is too much background noise, but sometimes music is a great overlay. You might be having excellent conversations with people that you love, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to have constant conversation when you’re trying to learn how to play a game together. Making sure that you have music playing in the background can make a big difference and make the night feel really cozy and fun.
- Make sure that you pick the right games. If you’ve got people who love poker coming over, then play poker. If you’re all into Dungeons and Dragons, then get suited and booted and sit around to play the most epic game you’ve ever played. No matter what it is you want to cater for, everybody and everybody’s likes are going to be different. So think about who you’re bringing to the game and go from there.
- Relax and have fun with it. Gaming is always exciting, but if you’re not relaxed, you’re not going to be able to have fun. You should be able to make sure that your game night is a hit that everybody wants to continue to talk about.