Themed Family Game Nights

By sarajean on 7/15/10 3:59pm
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Though we just started having family game nights this past winter, they have proven to be a huge success. We have a lot of fun together, playing different games, competing for prizes (basically things we find in our homes that we’d like to swap), and just being together as a family. My sisters and their significant others, my parents, a couple of aunts, and sometimes a few friends join in for the monthly fun.

Recently I suggested that we start having themed game nights, mostly because I just think it would be something we’d enjoy. What I’d love are some theme suggestions that are family appropriate (we always have my daughter, who is four, in attendance; other children sometimes attend as well). Here are a few that I’ve already come up with.

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Independence Day Games for Families

By sarajean on 7/1/10 8:13am
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You’ve got the barbecue, the little flag decorations, the fireworks—but what activities do you have planned for your Independence Day shindig? If you’re only going to have adults, you might just watch fireworks, play a few adult games, or relax together. If you have kids, however, that’s another story! You may want to have a few games prepared, just in case. Here are some fun outdoor games the kids at your party will love.

 

Hula Hoop Games: Remember hula hoops? These plastic toys are so much fun. If you don’t have one already, they are very inexpensive. You can have contests to see who can keep the hoop spinning the longest (or the fastest), as well as create an obstacle course where kids can run through hoops, duck beneath them, or climb around them.

 

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Make Your Own Board Game

By sarajean on 6/30/10 5:59pm
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My daughter and I were flipping through her National Geographic Little Kids magazine when we came across a fun board game. It’s very simple—a winding road, much like Candy Land—where each square lists an activity to do. To play, you can simply roll a die (or flip a coin) to take turns with a friend, and then follow the instructions.

Some of the instructions read things like clapping as loud as you can, hugging a friend, or drawing a sand castle. Fun, right? I got to thinking that A. this board game looks super easy to make and B. wouldn’t it be fun to make our own board game like this one?

I have a ton of ideas that we’re going to try over the holiday weekend. Here are a few themes that I thought about:

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Imaginiff: A Board Game That's Anything But Boring

By sarajean on 3/25/10 3:15am
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If you’re looking for a party game that’s just personal enough for any occasion—for friends, family, or mere acquaintances—without delving too deeply into how much you know one another, Imaginiff is the game you’re looking for.

My sister brought this game over for our monthly family game night and we all had a blast playing it. The game consists of a large dry erase game board, lots of question cards, a dry erase marker, tokens for each player, a spacer, and six multiple choice answer cars per color (player).

The beauty of this game is that you don’t have to be right; if you disagree with the person you’re guessing about, you can still win the points if you side with the majority! Here’s how the game works:

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Your Oscar Party: The Games

By sarajean on 1/28/10 3:33pm
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When it comes to Oscar parties, you might not think of games right away. After all, why would you play games when you’re watching to see if your favorite movie gets an award (or if that certain arrogant actress you abhor falls flat on her face)? There are plenty of games you can play while enjoying the ceremony, however—as well as while the commercials are running. Here are some ideas.

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National Trivia Day: January 4

By sarajean on 12/31/09 3:36pm
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I’ve always had a fondness for trivia games. It’s not just because I’ve loved Jeopardy! ever since I figured out how to form an answer as a question; it’s also because trivia games are the only games—aside from cards and dice—that my mother enjoys playing. Every time I was in the hospital, Trivial Pursuit was her game of choice when she came to stay with me.

You could definitely play Trivial Pursuit at your party; there are plenty of variations out there to get your guests interested. But there are plenty of other trivia games, too, such as…

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Host Your Own Middle Earth Party

By sarajean on 12/31/09 1:08pm
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Hooray! January 3 is J.R.R. Tolkien Day! We celebrate the life and works of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien on this day because it also happens to be his birthday. If you’re not already getting excited about the prospective ways to celebrate, you are either A. not a fan or B. comatose. Just in case you need some ideas for your own Middle Earth party, here are a few:

Dress in costume. What fun would a Middle Earth party be without costumes? Encourage couples to come as book couples, or make a few Elf ears and felt shawls to don people with as they walk through the door.

Decorate with your favorite scene. I’ve always wanted to live in the Shire myself, but if you want to try and make your pad into a Rivendell replica, go for it. This could be pretty hard to do, however, so you might just want to hang up LOTR posters and memorabilia if you’ve got it around.

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Arkham Horror: A Lovecraft Board Game

By msarko on 9/18/09 3:41pm
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For one reason or another, Internet culture has latched onto the stories of author H.P. Lovecraft as a source of cultural humor, specifically his end-all monster, Cthulu. This modern upswing in interest in Lovecraft's iconic horror stories has resulted in a number of fun bits of entertainment ephemera. One of the most extensive is a board game called Arkham Horror, a cooperative adventure in which a series of strange characters have to race against time and battle an army of horrible monsters to stop an ancient nightmare from rising in the modern world.



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The Party Games of ArmorGroup

By lafeeverte on 9/15/09 10:35am
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If you happen to be an employee of ArmorGroup, the private security company contracted to guard the U.S. embassay in Kabul, you like to play party games at Camp Sullivan, half-naked around a bonfire where fellow employees stand around urinate on themselves and each other for fun. What's more, you like to take vodka shots out of the other guards' buttcracks, and engage in sexually perverse hazing activities, humiliating and subjecting new recruits to these bizarre games, whether they want to be included, or not.

ArmorGroup's party games are now being closely examined by the State Department, Congress and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Secretary Clinton received a letter detailing the misconduct and abuses of Afghan nationals by the security personnel of ArmorGroup from Danielle Brian, Executive Director of Project on Government Oversight.

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Pandemic: A Cooperative Board Game

By msarko on 9/7/09 1:54am
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While there's nothing quite like some friendly competition around the table, sometimes it's better for everyone to be on the same team for a while. Instead of being player vs. player, it's players vs. rules, a gaming situation in which the only way to win is to communicate with your friends. One of the best co-op board games out today is a relatively new title called Pandemic.



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