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With so many people social-distancing at home, we thought we'd make a list of nine virtual games that can be played remotely. This will allow friends and colleagues to touch base and stay in touch over a fun exercise. All these games include elements of trivia, quizzes, riddles, and of course, simultaneous participation for everyone thanks to the use of conferencing apps such as Google Meet, Webex, and Zoom. As people have such a huge array of differing tastes, we've decided to try and find games that can accommodate everyone.
We suggest that you register all the would-be players before the game begins and then send out a list of the rules for the game. If there are any apps or software that need to be downloaded, then ensure that everyone has been able to do so. Another good idea is to ensure that each player's name is visible during the gameplay. And finally you’ll all need to decide among yourselves who will play the part of the host. This person needs to be highly motivated, enthusiastic, and great fun.
https://meet.google.com
https://www.webex.com
https://zoom.us
Murder Mystery
If you enjoyed the novels of Agatha Christie and Inspector Poirot, then this game is going to be right up your street. Before the game starts each player will receive a role that they need to play out, along with information that only their character can know. As you probably know only too well, during the game a character will be murdered and it's up to the other players to try and guess who the murderer is before the end of the game. The person who is able to identify the murderer correctly is the winner. A murder mystery adventure is perfect for large groups simply because you can invent a huge cast of characters, and their will always be verying degrees of commitment from each player. So if someone doesn't want to be the centre of attention, they can still feel included without being uncomfortable.
Remote Office Games
This is a 90 minutes event that you can play over any conference app, and it consists of a number of online games including trivia, communication, games, icebreakers, puzzles, riddles, and more. It's essentially a nice warm and relaxing group activity designed around basic team building. Keep in mind that these games will need an energetic and enthusiastic host whose job is to keep the games moving along nicely and ensure that everyone is equally involved. In these times of social-distancing, this is a great way to build some camaraderie and help improve communication between large groups of people, be they employees or friends.
An International Monster Hunt
This game combines different factors from popular genre's such as escape room games and murder mysteries. The large group is split into smaller teams and each team is given a name. They then need to solve puzzles and locate items around the world as well as find clues. As with most of these events, it will last 90 minutes, which we find, is the perfect time period within which to create a balance between overkill and entertainment. Once again, this game will need an enthusiastic host to keep everyone engaged.
Digital Scavenger Hunt
Essentially this involves compiling a list of everyday household objects along with challenges that can be given to players to complete. A time limit is set for the hunt and each player needs to fulfill as many challenges as possible within the time limit, as well as find as many items on the list. The winner is the player who completes the most items and proof of this can be by submitting a photo or video as evidence. As the digital scavenger hunt hinges on common household objects then the game can take on an unlimited number of players. However, when choosing the items all the challenges it's best if you keep to universal ones everyone will have at home.
Visual Trivia
This is just like those TV shows where teams need to answer questions about trivia in order to win. Before the game starts the host will need to compose a list of questions which can span a huge variety of general knowledge subjects and topics. The large group is divided into smaller teams with each being given an individual name. The questions are read out to all teams at the same time and there will be a mad rush to answer. Obviously the team with the most correct answers will win the game. Once again this is another online game that can be scaled up to include a huge group of people, or conversely, scaled-down for just a few players. The most important factor is to draw questions that are trivia or general knowledge and not specialising in any particular subject matter too deeply.
Cribs Quiz
Depending on your age, you’ll remember MTV Cribs. This game is similar. Players will submit a photo of their living space, and the other players will need to try and guess which crib belongs to who. On the whole this game works best if the players already know each other to some degree, as they are then able to draw on the knowledge of the other player’s taste and style. This game depends very much on the photos that the players submit and as a result can include as many people as you wish. In fact, the game probably works best with a very large group of people.
Space Team
This is a game that comes in the form of a downloadable mobile app available for both Android and iPhone platforms. Rather than teams or individuals competing against each other, the idea behind this is that everyone works together, as you all pilot a spacecraft ensuring that it doesn't get hit by an exploding star. Normally the game is limited to up to 8 players. But you can modify this by having multiple teams playing at once.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sleepingbeastgames.spaceteam&hl=en&gl=US
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spaceteam/id570510529
Icebreakers For Large Groups
Normally this takes the form of a question and answer format. To spice things up it's a good idea to include some rather left-field questions, which will then prompt a more interesting response. Once you know someone's name, job title, etc. you’ll be able to pose questions that are more relevant to them. A quick search of the internet and you’ll find one thousand and one of these types of games. In truth, they require very little input, but are a great and fun way for a large number of people to get to know each other, even if it's only over Zoom.
Virtual Remote Escape Room Games
These are a very popular activity for all ages. Of course, in this time of social-distancing we cannot play in real escape rooms, but we are able to still enjoy the game playing with a virtual host who's actually situated in a real escape room. He/she is wearing a camera and a headset and the players simply direct them around the room looking for clues and puzzles. It’s best if you divide the large group into smaller teams of up to 6 to 8 people. They can all play at finding clues and solving puzzles in order to progress through the rooms and complete their escape before 60 minutes is up as they can all see the same feed coming from the game master in the actual room. This is a great exercise for developing teamwork skills including communication and also for having fun together. Once again they rely on a ubiquitous conference app like Zoom.
