The group I play with has the Jackbox Party Pack 2, which comes with five games. The person who’s hosting the game will share their screen on a Zoom or other conference call, and everyone else will log on to to play. You can buy individual games (on sale right now for $4.99) or buy a party pack with multiple games (on sale for $12.49). Jackbox has been around for years but has been surging in popularity - at least among my friends - in the past few weeks. I’ve also noted which platforms are easiest for each type of group. I’ve tested out a few game platforms over the past two months, and below are five of my favorites for Zoom calls and virtual happy hours. Related: Running Out of Things to Say On Zoom? This Communication Expert Wants to Help.ĭuring a time that no one really has exciting news to share, playing a game can be a good way to spend time with friends without having the pressure to keep everyone entertained. I’ve also done game nights with other groups of friends from around the country.
My extended family actually started doing monthly virtual trivia nights long before we all started social distancing, which we’ve of course continued through the quarantine.
One silver lining of this situation is that people are using the opportunity to catch up with long-lost friends and family on virtual calls and happy hours. Despite some states re-opening for business, it looks like most Americans will be following social distancing guidelines through the summer (and potentially into the fall).