In this period of social distancing due to Covid-19 we have all used the technology made available to carry out video conferences and online meetings, such as Zoom: video calls can, however, also become an opportunity for fun, organizing online gaming sessions with friends and relatives.
So here we offer you a selection of extremely simple games to play on Zoom (or on Meet or any other videocall app), without downloading software or applications, but simply by connecting with friends and relatives, using some useful free features that the platform makes available and leaving room for your creativity and imagination, to give you hours of relaxation and laughter. To answer without overlapping one another and make everything even more fun, the advice is to choose sound signals acting as buttons.
Classic quiz
The moment you are able to share a presentation from your computer, you are also able to organize a quiz very easily, with the advantage of being able to reach many people at the same time. It is possible to be inspired by TV quizzes such as "Who wants to be a millionaire" or "The legacy" and involve many people in different teams to have fun in company. So, don't be afraid to think big and unleash your creativity!
It is possible to proceed in the creation of the quiz with paper and pens, but if you prefer something digital, Kahoot can come to your aid. Kahoot it allows, in fact, to create a presentation of multiple choice questions, which everyone shares via their web browser and manages all administrators when it comes to voting and counting scores. The free plan allows you to share a quiz Kahoot with up to 10 people at the same time, with customized options for times and points.
Code names
This game sees two teams compete on a shared online grid full of words, and its goal is to clear your team's words as quickly as possible. Each team appoints a "team leader" who has the task of providing clues to their teammates to guess as many words as possible: for example the word "day" would be a clue for both the word "time" and the word "light". Obviously, the more words are written with the fewer clues, the faster the board is cleared and the greater the chances of victory.
Treasure Hunt
This is a great game that also allows people to stand up and move as well as work as a team where there are several people around each laptop or webcam. It is possible to make the treasure hunt longer and more difficult or shorter and easier with the aim of collecting specific objects or objects that match certain criteria, throughout the house. To keep the competition between the various players high, it is possible to add or subtract points according to the speed and creativity of the participants in the choice of objects. Good Housekeeping has a solid list of clue ideas to start with.
Virtual Pictionary
Through the blackboard of Zoom, found in section Share, you can play the virtual version of Pictionary: in turn, each participant in the game will share their own blackboard with the others, and will start drawing on it. You can choose and customize the various colors, the size of the brush and much more, to make your drawing unique and realistic.
The first participant who guesses what he is drawing will be awarded the point!
Monopoli
Almost anyone owns a Monopoli: as we have seen above for chess, also in this case all you have to do is set it up, creating a space for the computer so that it is a shared experience and play. You will need two or more bankers, one for each team Zoom, who will also have to make sure that there are no people trying to cheat and that these remote transactions between players work.
The game must obviously be carried out on the boards of each team both as regards the movement of the pawns and as regards the construction of houses and hotels. It is true that some cards, such as unexpected events and probabilities will be duplicated and that some parts of the game will not work at all, but the important thing is to have fun in company and spend the holidays with loved ones even from "far away".
Wikipedia Race
This game requires every player to have Wikipedia open on any device, be it a laptop, a tablet or a phone. All players must have the same start page and end page - the person who makes his way from one to the other in the shortest time is the winner. The key rule is that you can only get around the encyclopedia by clicking or tapping on the links of Wikipedia , so players need to think intelligently which links they decide to follow.
Game of mimes
Imagination is everything in this game ... what it takes to have fun! Each participant, in turn, must try to make others guess an object, a character, an animal simply mimandoli. The only limit is your imagination! You can also think about converting this game into version film, thus mimicking the titles of cinema films, even composed of several words. In this case, before starting to mimic the film, it is necessary to indicate the number of words that make up the title and then… launch the challenge!
Guess the song
Another fun game to propose on Zoom è Guess the song, a sort of online Sarabanda that will spark fun and competition. The ideal here is to take advantage of the music sharing function that can be activated by clicking on the icon Share below, going to the section Advanced and selecting the voice Share computer audio only. At that point, the computer audio of the one who has the task to choose the song to guess, will be shared with all the others. It will be enough, therefore, to start the song and… wait for the first one who will be able to give the correct answer in a mega challenge of musical knowledge and reactivity.
Chess
If you prefer something a little calmer, the chess they are an easy game to pitch on Zoom. Sure, you can play chess online or via any form of messaging, but spending some time talking to a distant loved one with a chessboard will make you feel closer. You just have to remember to move the pieces on both boards in order to always have the evolution of the game under control. And for the more passionate, it is possible to play for several days: just leave the board configuration with all the pieces in their place. This also gives you time to plan a winning strategy!
The Hike - The hike
Born as a team building exercise for employees who work remotely, The Hike is now available for anyone who wants to try it for free.
A narrator leads the rest of the group, divided into competing teams, sharing slides that give the opportunity to choose your own adventure- You will need to make group decisions via an instant messaging platform of your choice to make sure your team survives the night and out of the woods.
Charades
To play Charades on videoconferencing you need some space for performance and a lot of light, so that the video is not too grainy. The aim of the game is to ask the performer to have an idea and to stage it so that the rest of his team can guess. Those who participate in the video call can watch, track time, and make sure no cheating happens. If all participants have a card set of Charades at home it's even better.
In other articles, we have also seen:
- 10 Games for Two to Play on the Same PC or Over the Internet (HTML5)
- 20 free games to play online games and play against friends
The best games to play on Zoom with family and friends
