Sometimes there just isn’t enough time for game playing. Dominoes, Apples to Apples, Parcheesi… And who doesn’t love a few rounds of Yahtzee? Throwing a game night dinner party provides the perfect way to see friends, enjoy good food and drinks, and get in that much needed fun time.
Greg Jenkins, an event planner with over twenty-five years of experience, gives GalTime some indispensable tips for throwing the perfect game night.
1. Figure out a guest list.
A guest list is an integral part of any party or function, especially a game night. Cynthia Nims, author of Gourmet Game Night, suggests tailoring your game choices based on who you’re inviting. “Scrabble is a lot of fun to some folks but others think “spelling” and “fun” just don’t go hand in hand,” she jokes, showing the importance of creating a guest list. In addition, you’ll want an idea of about how many people will be attending because that can alter the set-up of your night. Nims advises individual game play for groups of eight or less, whereas team play or game stations work better for parties of more than eight.
2. Review your calendar.
Jenkins suggests actually reaching out to potential guests before solidifying a date that way you can plan on a time that the most people are available. Arbitrarily choosing a date may result in picking a night that very few people have open.
3. Asks guests to bring one of their favorite games.
By doing this, guests will “feel a sense of connection” to the event and “enjoy contributing to the overall experience” according to Jenkins. Also, this will avoid the problem of people disliking the games you may choose. If everyone brings their favorite, each guest is guaranteed to like at least one of the games.
Nims also has some suggestions of games that tend to work well. Classic card games, such as hearts, gin rummy, bridge, and canasta, are extremely popular for game nights while Chicken Foot, Mexican Train (a domino game), and other dominoes games work really well with groups. Some retro choices, such as Operation and The Game of Life can be a hoot. Again, the most important aspect to consider is your guests.
4. Decide on a menu.
Don’t forgot, food is the other half of your game and dinner night! According to Jenkins, you want to keep things casual and avoid heavy meals that will make people lethargic. Along the same lines, Nims believes things run the most smoothly if you mix food and game time instead of having a sit down meal before beginning game play. Therefore, foods that don’t require utensils but will keep your fingers clean tend to work best.
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5. Make sure you have enough space.
Fitting all these guests comfortably in your house to eat and play is key. Lolita, President and CEO of Designs by Lolita and entertainment expert, suggests clearing the room of furniture unless there is a table and chairs available and having guests bring over folding chairs and card tables. Remember, you can always have different game stations set up in different rooms and have your guests rotate that way if space is an issue!
6. Keep things simple.
Most importantly, keep the night simple. This is about having fun, don’t forget! Lolita suggests having small gag gifts as a way to add a little extra something to the night. In addition, she recommends having a time limit on games and a designated “bell ringer” who rings a bell at the end of each time limit so people know when to rotate to the next game, if you’re setting up game stations. Overall, this should be a fun night for your guests and yourself as the host! If you follow these tips and give yourself plenty of time to plan, there’s no reason why your game night shouldn’t be a great success!
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