As we get farther into the semester, some students on campus are trying to find more ways to connect with their friends who are in another dorm or studying remotely. Why not kick up the competition and friendly rivalry and play some video games?

One of the most popular party games right now is Among Us. Among Us is a murder-mystery type game similar to Mafia or Werewolf. You are a crew member working at a station and are tasked with completing maintenance around the station. However, an Imposter walks within your group and is tasked with killing off the crew. As you complete your tasks, you may come across a fallen crewmember where you can report the body. This takes you into a discussion where you vote who you think the killer is and eject them from the station. The game allows you to have a chat room where you can discuss or you can use calling services like Discord or FaceTime instead. The game is available on Steam, Apple Store and Google Play.

If you’re looking for a variety of games at one price, then look no further than Jackbox Games.  Essentially, you want to have a host screen share the game on either Zoom or Google Hangouts so that everyone can see the screen. I would suggest to have the timer be longer so that if someone has bad connectivity, they can still participate. Once everyone can see the game on screen, players join in on their phone and participate in the game that way, much like Kahoot!.  Jackbox Games has different party packs to purchase and each pack comes with different games.  The game types range from trivia to drawing. Jackbox Games is available across platforms and consoles.

Another set of games you can play online are the classics. And now, you don’t need to be in person to play a classic board game with friends. Almost every platform and console have versions of Monopoly, Risk, Catan, Clue, UNO, Cards Against Humanity and the Game of Life. You can easily hook up Zoom, FaceTime or Discord and hangout with your friends while you play. Also, the majority of the population grew up with these games so explaining the rules might not be necessary.

If you’re more of a solo player or don’t feel like beating your friends constantly, you can hang out in Minecraft. Some creative people have rebuilt theme parks like Disney World, famous landmarks and Elizabethtown College into Minecraft.  Based on where you want to go, you would have to do some digging into what server these places are. Also, most of these servers will most likely limit you on what you’ll have since the creators don’t want you to ruin their work.

Also, don’t be afraid to go back to games you may have finished years ago. Nothing wrong with starting fresh. Happy gaming!