10 Games to Play on Your Next Video Call

By now, we’ve all had to grow accustomed to spending time with our friends and family members virtually. Even as stay-at-home orders change and restrictions loosen, coming together online for a video call has become part of our new normal. Though our weekends might look a little different than they used to, there are still ways you can make your next video call feel more fun and engaging with a little help from technology. We’ve rounded-up 10 games you can play on your next video call:

House Party games

Have you heard of the Houseparty app? Well, now you have. The House[arty app is a video calling app that helps you connect with up to eight friends and play games. Let friends know you’re “in the house” and invite them to join you for one of House Party’s four games that work directly within the app: Chips and Guac, Head’s Up, Trivia, or Quick Draw.

Chips and Guac operates similarly to card games “Apples to Apples” or “Cards against Humanity” where you select a descriptive card to pair with a statement card. Head’s Up was popularized by Ellen DeGenerous and requires you and your teammates to describe a noun to one person, who cannot see the word. The trivia game allows everyone to answer the same questions and keeps score of who gets the most correct. And finally, Quick Draw is a version of Pictionary, where each person in the chat takes turns drawing and everyone must guess what it is.

Remote Insensitivity

Speaking of “Cards Against Humanity,” if you’d like to play this card game with your friends, there’s a virtual version called Remote Insensitivity (for copyright reasons). The creators of this game make it incredibly easy for you to share a link with your fellow game players and drag and drop card selections. Be prepared for some wildly inappropriate but laugh-inducing card combinations. You might even forget for a second that you’re playing across countries or time zones.

Card Games

Those very same creators of Remote Insensitivity also allow you to play any sort of card game virtually through their platform, PlayingCards.io, including non-card games like Checkers and Backgammon. You can play traditional card games like Crazy Eights, Cribbage, and Go Fish, among many others. Plus, you have the option to create a custom game. Who knows – maybe you’ll be inspired to create your own game!

Pictionary

Okay, so you might have already devised a way to play Pictionary through the use of good old-fashioned pen and paper, but let technology do some of the work for you. Skribbl.io is an online platform that facilitates this drawing and guessing game, allowing you to play with up to 12 players and create your own custom words.

Scattegories

Everyone’s favorite game (or is it just mine?) is now available virtually. Again, this is certainly something you can recreate with pen and paper, but the online platforms make it considerably easier to time the game and come up with categories. If you’re unfamiliar with Scattergories, it works like this: you get a list of categories and a letter. You’re then tasked with coming up with a word or term that starts with that letter for each of the categories listed in the time allotted. For more information on the rules, or to play on your next virtual call, try one of these sites: Scattegories Online or Scattergories List Generator.

Jackbox games

Jackbox has a whole collection of games that are essentially designed to be played virtually. For many of its games, all you need is for one person to own the game, share their screen, and then share their room code. You then go to jackbox.tv to enter the room code and your name, and you get access to the game you’ve chosen to play. Some personal Jackbox game favorites include: Fibbage, Quiplash, and Drawful.

Fibbage is a version of trivia where you have to fool your friends with your answer to the trivia, while still guessing the correct one. Quiplash asks participants to answer a prompt, and those participants then get to vote on the best answer. Drawful is very similar to Pictionary but with a twist: people have to submit their guesses for what the drawing is, and other players have to figure out which guess is correct. Jackbox has so many other games too, so take a look on their site for your next game.

Codenames

For anyone looking for something that involves an element of mystery, might we recommend Codenames? Though this can be played as a physical board game, it’s another one that’s been converted into an online platform at horsepaste.com. To play, you must guess which words in a set are related to a hint-word given by another player. There is a bit more to it than just that, so we recommend reading the rules first, and then inviting your friends to play.

Catan

Yet another classic has made its way online and ready to be played among you and your friends, no matter where you are. Catan, or Settlers of Catan as it’s also known, is a multiplayer game where players take on the roles of settlers, to try to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources. You can play this game online with friends through a variety of platforms, which you can find on the Catan website. Put your strategizing hat on and escape into this world for a while.

Fishbowl game

Fishbowl is a great party game that’s easy to play over video chat. It’s like a combination of Charades, or Taboo (if you’ve ever played), where people have to give clues to a teammate or teammates to help them guess a word or term. With Fishbowl, everyone writes down a few phrases or terms that will be guessed, and then the group is split into two teams. From there, there’s three rounds. The first round, players must use words to describe the word or phrase on the card. In the second round, players must act out or use gestures to describe the word or phrase. In round three, players can only use one word to describe the word or phrase. Head to the Fishbowl website and you can get started with your friends and family.

Actor/movie game

The “actor/movie” game requires no virtual game board — nor does it even really require video. For this game, all you need is some familiarity with actors and movies. The premise is simple: one person starts by naming a movie or an actor. If that person names a movie, the next person must name an actor from that movie; if the round starts with an actor, the next person must name a movie. Traditionally, you go around in a circle, but you’ll have to decide the order if you’re on a video chat. You continue making those connections “around the circle” without repeating an actor or movie until someone breaks the chain. There are some more rules to determine how to “challenge” someones answer, but this game can be especially fun, as with all of this time spent at home, you might be more on top of your entertainment knowledge.

How to Use Winter Break to Get Ready for Next Semester

You’ve survived finals! Or at least, they’re almost over, and the end of the semester is finally in sight. After spending the past few months attending class, studying, and completing assignments, you have really earned that break. But what do you do with all of that free time in the coming weeks? We have a few suggestions for how to use your winter break to get ready for next semester.

REST your brain, your body, your soul

For the first time in months, you likely don’t have any looming deadlines or assignments. You might not realize it, but your brain can get tired too! Spending all of that time coordinating your schedule and due dates, prepping for class, studying can be mentally exhausting. Use the time over break to slow down your pace and do things that mentally revive you. For some people, that might be exercising, meditating, going for a walk, taking a long bath — anything that allows you to relax. In doing this, you’ll feel recharged and ready to take on the upcoming semester.

READ for fun

When you spend an entire semester reading for classes, it can be difficult to remember that reading can actually be fun. Give yourself a break from reading assignments, and instead, pick up a FUN book (yes, they exist). Find a book that covers a topic you’re personally interested in, or find a novel that promises a compelling story. It’ll give your eyes a break from your phone, laptop, or even TV screen, and let you have some quiet time for yourself. Bonus? Reading will keep your mind sharp over the break!

HANG OUT with friends and family

There’s nothing quite as re-energizing as being around people who you love, who you have fun with, and who make you feel good about yourself. Spend time with those people over your break! If you’re heading home for the break, make time for people you haven’t seen in a while. If you’re traveling, find a travel buddy or make friends while you explore a new place. If you’re staying local, use this time to strengthen the bonds with your community. This quality time will make you feel good and catch up with people you might not have been able to spend time with during those busier times over the semester.

GET A HEAD START and prep for next semester

Okay, okay, we know the semester just ended – but with so much time ahead of the next, you could use some of that time to get ready for what’s ahead. As your professors start posting their syllabi, check out what books you have to buy and what assignments you’ll have. You could start some of the reading early, or even just map out some of the deadlines throughout the semester so you know how busy (or not) you will be in the spring, and can plan some fun things when you’re back at school.

6 Ways to Meet New People on Campus

At the start of every school year, everything is “new” – new classes, new professors, new schedules – but in particular, it can be a time to meet new people. With a fresh start, you might be inspired and excited to meet new people and grow your circle of friends. However, even if you’re outgoing, it can feel intimidating to introduce yourself to people or just simply figure out how to go from “stranger” to “new friend.” To help, we’ve come up with X ways that you can make friends and meet new people on campus:

Join an on-campus club or organization

Clubs and organizations are basically built-in ways to make friends. Part (well, maybe even most) of the reason why clubs and organizations exist is to bring people together around something that interests or motivates them. With that reason in mind, it makes sense that clubs or organizations would be a great place to meet new people: you know that these fellow students have a shared interest with you. Usually, if you join a club or organization early in the semester, you’ll be introduced to new people automatically through group activities – so that takes the work (and any potential awkwardness) out of introducing yourself. Use that as an opportunity to invite a fellow club member to grab lunch or a coffee after a meeting to get to know each other more.

Become a part of a team

Okay, “togetherness” is literally in the definition: a group of players forming one side, or a group coming together to achieve a common goal. Joining a team is a great way to meet new people – and bonus: you have to get to know each other, because understanding your teammates makes you better able to work together. The introductions to your teammates will be quick and easy, because then you have to get to playing! After a practice or a game, invite your teammates for a celebratory (or maybe a consolatory) meal. And if the season is over? Keep up the camaraderie in the off-season by hanging out and inviting your teammates to other activities.

Get an on-campus job

A job might not seem like a great place to meet someone, but if you’re getting a job on-campus, it actually can help introduce you to a lot of new people. Consider all of the potential employment opportunities on campus: in the admission office, in the library, in the student center, etc. All of these places provide opportunities not only to meet new people by way of your co-workers – but also because you’ll likely be interacting with other students in some capacity. Additionally, your coworkers can introduce you to new people, or your job might even make you aware of some other opportunities for meeting new people.

Invite classmates to a study group

Listen, studying doesn’t have to be all work all the time. If you have a test or an assignment coming up, invite a classmate to help you study or prepare. It’s much easier starting a conversation with a classmate when you’re talking about class, since you know you both have that in common. Have your classmate meet you at the library, or another neutral on-campus location. Just try to actually get some work done when you ask a classmate to study or prep with you. Try doing some work, and then incorporating breaks into your session so you can recharge your brains, but also get to know your classmate. You might even suggest doing something after your study session, or another time, and in the process, it could even help you do better in the class!

Attend on-campus events

There are always so many events happening on campus at any given moment – so attend them! These provide great opportunities for meeting new people. Your school likely has a Student Activities office (or something similar) that has the sole purpose of coming up with things for students to do to provide a great on-campus experience. Check out their calendar of events and go to one that looks interesting to you. Other students with similar interests will attend the event, so you’ll know you have something in common. Don’t disregard academic on-campus events either though. If a professor suggests attending an event for extra credit, or something that might be helpful to class, invite a classmate to go with you – or if you see a classmate at the event, find a seat next to them. These are great ways to introduce yourself.

Actually attend your RA’s events

Most dorms have Resident Advisors (RAs, for short), and these RAs are generally responsible for planning and coordinating events for their residents. Part of their role on campus is to help facilitate a positive living environment for students in the dorms, and try to help everyone get along. As a result, they’re usually planning events that are aimed at introducing residents to each other and building great communities. Ask your RA if they have any events coming up and attend it — and don’t be afraid to ask your RA if they know of any other events to attend. They generally have a lot of information and will be a great resource in helping you make friends and meet new people.