Diwali is a magical time of year for many across India, with five days of festivities that celebrate the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. With the 12th of November fast approaching, many Indians are cleaning, preparing, and decorating their homes and ensuring that their best clothes are ready. There’s also good news that blanket bans on firecrackers will not be in place in many parts of the country.

But among all the feasting, fireworks, and gift-giving, there are always friends and loved ones that we can’t spend time with in person.

Well this year, why not involve them in your celebrations by hosting a virtual games night? That way, you can all come together (virtually), no matter where you are in the country, to have fun.

Here’s how you can plan a virtual games night.

Make Sure You Have Everything You Need

With many shops and businesses closing during all or part of the festivities, it’s best to plan ahead so you don’t find yourself missing something important for your games night.

You’ll need to ensure everyone taking part has a strong internet connection that’s fast enough to play the game(s) of your choice and stable enough to not keep dropping out.

Everyone involved in your virtual games night will need a device to play on, either a smartphone, computer, or games console. Depending on what you decide to play, everyone may also need to register an account, download (or buy a physical disc) of the game, and have it installed ready to go.

Choose a Game

You will be spoilt for choice in terms of the games you can play, with everything from classic card and board games, to modern shoot’em ups. The title(s) that you opt for will depend on who is taking part.

If it’s just you and your buddies, then you may opt to play your favorite console games such as the latest Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto Online. However, if you need a game that has a wider appeal to the people in the room, you may wish to opt for a classic card or board game.

Card games are a popular and traditional option for games nights during holidays and you needn’t let distance get in the way of that. Companies like PokerStars are most famous for hosting online competitions, but they also allow you to set up your own private poker room and play with your friends over the internet. You can all take part from your PC or on an Android or iOS smartphone or tablet, whether you’re in the same room or the other side of the country.

You could also download a digital version of a classic board game. On sites like Chess.com, people can play online or against friends from computers and mobile devices.

Set Up a Video Chat

Some games give you the ability to voice or text chat while you play, and this may be enough for you. However, if you’d also like to see each other to add more intimacy to your games night, then you’ll need a computer or tablet and some video conferencing software that supports multiple participants.

Thankfully, this doesn’t need to cost anything since companies like Skype, Zoom, Facebook, and Apple all have group video chat options.

By video chatting together while you play, you can recreate much of the same atmosphere with friendly banter that’s common among people that play games.

Do a Test Run

There’s nothing worse than spending half of your holiday trying to fix technical problems before you can have fun. So it may be a good idea to do a test run ahead of time to make sure that your devices can play the games, your internet connections work, and that you can all play in the same game together.

Doing a test run also gives you another opportunity to play, which can’t be a bad thing.

Have Fun

Remember that you’re playing with friends and loved ones, and while it’s great to win, it’s more important that you just have fun. Enjoy the time you spend (virtually) together and the game(s) you choose to play.

 

🗃️ This story is from our archives and may contain outdated information.