A games night is an inexpensive and easy to organise option for a quiet family night at home or a special event such as a birthday or engagement party, bridal shower, kitchen tea or baby shower. As an event to foster a sense of community for a church or social group or when hosting an event with groups of people who many not know each other well, a games night can create non-threatening opportunities to socialise with new people.
Game Suggestions for a Games Night
Offer a range of games to suit all interests and abilities. Include only games that can be quickly explained to anyone who might be unfamiliar with the rules. The following games are suitable for small groups and can be adapted for quick game play:
- Boggle
- Scrabble
- Monopoly
- Scattergories
- Pictionary
- Trivial Pursuit
- Card games – Uno, Phase 10
- The Touch Game
- Dice games – Yahtzee, Zilch
Setting Up Games and Adapting Rules
Set up games in separate areas and ensure that all pieces, dice, pencils, notepads and other requirements are ready. Include a small card printed with the basic game rules, especially if rules have been altered. Allow room for 3 – 5 people per game. Keep a stopwatch or kitchen timer with games where players take individual turns.
Some games, such as Monopoly, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, might require some adaptation of the rules to help game play progress more quickly.
Monopoly
Set out money for each player, allocate a banker and put aside hotels/motels to simplify the game. The player with the largest value of property at the end of the game wins.
Scrabble
Put the playing board aside and give each player 8 tiles. Players try to simultaneously form their letters into a crossword style grid, using all of their tiles. As soon as a player succeeds, they call out “2 up” and each player takes 2 extra tiles from the reserves. They incorporate these into their grid, completely rearranging their previous grid if necessary. Play continues until the final reserve tiles are used and a player is able to place all of their tiles into a grid.
To determine the winner, players count up the points from tiles they have used in a grid and subtract points from tiles they have not managed to place. The player with the highest number of points is the winner.
Trivial Pursuit
Award a coloured pie piece for the correct answer from any square for a particular category. The winner is the player with the highest number of prize pieces at the end of the game. Set a time limit for answering questions (eg 30 seconds or 1 minute).
Scoring for a Social Games Night
Allow 20 – 25 minutes for play then 10 – 15 minutes for people to mingle and move to a different game.
Allocate points at the conclusion of each game such as 5 points for a win, 3 points for second place and 1 point for third. Keep a running tally, so that a winner can be declared at the end of the evening. Offer a small prize to players who gain the most points by the end of the night, such as a small box of chocolates or other inexpensive treat.
A Fun Idea for Spending Time with Family and Friends
A games night is easy to organise and an inexpensive way to get together with friends to celebrate a special event or just have fun. Games and play can be adapted for small family groups or larger social settings to ensure that everyone has fun.
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