Xander Walther, Video Editor
@xanderwcourant
Hybrid and cohort learning have separated a lot of friends this fall. Considering we are still in the midst of the second wave of the Coronavirus, many people are choosing to social distance to the best of their ability to keep themselves and others safe. However, many people miss spending time with their friends at parties and/or game nights. Thankfully, there is a way to continue making hilarious memories with your friends from the comfort of your own home. Introducing this year’s top five party games: Among Us, Fall Guys, the JackBox party packs, Cards Against Humanity (PG-13) and Poker! These select games, ranging from free-to-play to $30, are sure to bring together your friends and family for a quality game night.
Among Us is a cartoon style, strategy game set in space. The game is actually quite simple. Between four and ten players load into a lobby and depending on the settings and player count, one, two or three imposters are randomly selected. The rest of the players are crewmates on this all-purpose space station, assigned tasks across the map that they must complete to beat the imposter. However, crewmates can also win by figuring out who the imposter(s) is before they kill everyone! The tasks are pretty easy to figure out, usually involving flipping some switches or connecting some wires.
However, the game becomes more challenging when a dead body is reported. This can be done by either a crewmate or the imposter. Depending on how much time is allocated to discuss and vote by the lobby host, the more questions that can be asked and answered the better. Whether you are a crewmate or an imposter, being able to answer any question posed to you instantaneously will prove invaluable. I spoke with junior Caleb Scola, a student who has participated in a couple Among Us game nights within his group of friends. “I would definitely say Among Us has played a role in bringing my friends and I together during quarantine. It’s a very social game, the way it’s structured and it gives us an opportunity to hang out in a safe way, outside of school,” he said. Caleb chooses to play Among Us on iOS for free as opposed to purchasing the game on PC. When asked about his thoughts on the gameplay he responded with, “It’s definitely not imperative to spend money on the game. I think I would get a similar experience if not the same experience on my phone then I would as if I got it on PC.” With the average gaming lasting about ten minutes and the little to no learning curve, Caleb decided to give the game “a solid eight and a half out of ten.”
Next on this list is Fall Guys. Similar to the television show, Wipeout, the goal of this massively multiplayer game is to beat other players to the finish line or be the last (apparently six-foot, play-doh styled animation) “fall guy” standing. All whilst dodging obstacles and other players that may have a vendetta! Whether or not you choose to grab a hold of other players at the finish line in an attempt to stop them from crossing is up to you. As each round passes, the number of qualifiers becomes less, so be sure to keep an eye on that number displayed on the top right when racing to the finish line. Winning will earn you a crown that you can then spend on in-game cosmetics. Cheaper cosmetics can be purchased with the other in-game currency, Kudos. These are earned by simply playing games. The better you do, the more you earn. Unfortunately, while the cosmetics are free, the game is not. This comical collection of minigames will run you $20 on Steam, a trusted digital distribution service by Valve. I’d recommend waiting for the game to go on sale, and in the meantime, play some of the cheaper games on this list!
This next item is a collection of games and has now released its seventh installment: The JackBox party packs. Each party pack has five minigames all with a fun twist. Ranging from clever quips to trivial knowledge, these games are a great way to connect with your friends over the internet and avoid risking the spread of Coronavirus. Depending on the game, the player count can range anywhere from two to ten players which makes it a great game to play with your friends and family if you haven’t already spent enough time with them in quarantine. Although the party packs each cost anywhere from $20-$30, only one person has to own any pack to start a lobby. The other players can join by connecting to the lobby with the unique code displayed to the user. Since the instructions are displayed on the screen of the host, this game is best played over Zoom or Discord where the host is able to screen share.
This next game requires player discretion. Although it’s rated PG-13+, a few of the (virtual) cards included in this game are quite explicit. Just don’t send your family an invite to this game. Your friends, however, are the perfect people to play Cards Against Humanity with. This game is usually played in person but there is now a web app! The Card Czar reads a prompt with one or two blanks and then the other players randomly submit one or two of their cards from a random selection to replace the blanks in the prompt. Whichever submission the Card Czar finds funniest wins. The player who submitted those cards is awarded a point. When the point limit is reached by a player, they win. This is a great game for a virtual game night with your close friends!
Now this list would not be complete without poker, the classic casino game! Here at the NCHS Courant we don’t endorse gambling but poker can be just as enjoyable without the physical chips representing a certain amount of money. Over the summer, Junior Noah Kozlowski hosted some online poker games with his friends. “During quarantine, my friends and I couldn’t see each other as much as we would’ve liked to with the lockdown happening, so I decided a good way to get together would be doing an online poker night which a lot of my friends agreed with. It ended up being a very fun experience. On average we would have around eight people but sometimes we would have up to twelve and other nights it would dwindle around five or six so it was really a large range of people. The gamers were completely free to set up on pokernow.club and took less than a minute to set up.
Barely any of my friends knew how to play and it only took them 30 seconds to learn,” he said. The average length of the game depends on how determined the players are to win. “The average game would take twenty minutes when we would go all in, of course there was no money involved. However, some games went two hours or longer when people would play conservatively,” Noah said. “Safe to say everyone enjoyed the experience. With the right organization, I’d rate it a nine out of ten.”
Staying safe during the pandemic has been hard on everyone. It’s challenging to go without seeing your closest friends for more than four months. As this second wave of the virus continues to plague our nation, maybe it’s time to hop on a Discord call with your friends and play a game of Among Us. You don’t even have to wear a mask!
