Shuffle, Strategize & Socialize

Did you make New Year’s resolutions that involve keeping in touch with friends and family more? Despite our best intentions to keep connected, the cold and dark winter days are less than motivating to do so. But these are the days where staying connected is more important than ever, and I have just the thing to inspire you—games!

Not just for kids, games provide an opportunity to connect with friends and family and leave daily stresses behind. Playing games allows for a casual night to let loose, laugh and enjoy drinks and snacks. The games can be chosen for any and all ages and can create a great backdrop for making new friends too. Plus, hosting your own game night is pretty straightforward: pick a game (or games), invite a few friends and serve up some tasty drinks and snacks!

The guest list
 

Start by planning your guest list and deciding if you want a small group or a large group. With a large group, you can play one party game that includes everyone or set up different tables and play areas with multiple games on offer. With a small group, one game is likely best. Invite friends who enjoy games so you don’t have a party pooper in the background killing the vibe. Since games are a natural ice breaker, this is a great time to mix in some new friends that may not know each other.

The vibe
 

Set up a cozy playing area by turning on lamps or electric candles, and press play on your favourite music playlist. Extra throw cushions around your coffee table and throw blankets on the back of chairs will keep your guests comfortable throughout the evening. Fill up a cooler with ice and drinks or set up a DIY soda and cocktail bar on a nearby table for easy refills during play.

The games
 

Next, pick your games. Choose a game based on how many people will play and what their interests are. Strategy games are great for serious gamers, while funny party games are better for settings where you want to visit as well as play. Think about the length of your game, too: will your friends have the attention span for a very long game, or are a few shorter ones better? There are team games that work well for large groups and retro games like charades and Monopoly that work for a variety of ages. Pictionary is another classic that's extra fun with a large easel for everyone to see the drawings.

What Do You Meme and Taboo will get your friends laughing, and Cards Against Humanity or Drawing Without Dignity are great fun if your guests aren’t easily offended. Are your guests foodies? Check out the Foodies board game or, for epicurean trivia, play Food Fight or Wine Wars. If you like a good murder mystery night, A Wine Tasting Murder is the foodie take on the classic game. For more game ideas, check out your local shop or boardwithfriends.ca/rentals for a great list of all types of games.

The food
 

Hosting a game night definitely requires snacks and drinks, but not a full-on dinner. You can keep things simple while still getting creative with your theme to make it interesting. Aperitifs (Esquimalt vermouth) and antipasti, sparkling wine (Unsworth, Beaufort, 40 knots, Blue Grouse) and tapas, beer or kombucha from local breweries paired with pizza, salsa and ceviche with premixed margaritas—pick your favourite snack flavours and go with it.

Chips and dip, charcuterie boards, wine and cheese or bowls of nuts, popcorn and candy are all acceptable game night fare too. Easy finger foods that can be brought to the game table without spilling are best, though make sure to provide lots of napkins. (While we’re thinking of spills, nix real candles or fancy flower arrangements; be prepared to see the wild side of your friends!) Finish off the night with a little something sweet. Some homemade cookies or jars of candy with bags that guests can fill are a fun finishing touch.

The finish line
 

For a memorable ending, give out delicious local food and drinks as prizes that won’t collect dust: a freshly ground bag of Fernwood or Salt Spring Coffee, Forest for Dinner gourmet mushroom powder or infused salts, a jar of golden Island Bees honey, your favourite local wine or cider, Easy Treats chocolates—I could go on. In fact, if you offer local foodie prizes, can you invite me, please?