CLEVELAND, Ohio -- So the annual cookie swap is canceled, and there’s no gathering around to decorate the family Christmas tree. How do you enjoy being with family and friends this season -- without actually being there?
It’s not easy, and you might be tired of trying to come up with events to talk about on Zoom. Research shows, though, that it’s essential to fulfill our social needs for our general health. A literature review from researchers at the University of Chicago shows that loneliness can have profound impacts.
“We have posited that loneliness is the social equivalent of physical pain, hunger, and thirst; the pain of social disconnection and the hunger and thirst for social connection motivate the maintenance and formation of social connections necessary for the survival of our genes,” they write.
For people heeding the advice of health experts and restricting large family gatherings this holiday season, cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer is publishing some offbeat guides to board games, card games, video games and other options for enjoying time with the people in your bubbles, which you can find at cleveland.com/familytime.
When we published our guide to board games, readers asked for options to play with people who aren’t immediately in their household. So on this week’s special episode of This Week in the CLE, we rounded up some of what has been helping us connect with family and friends that are far away.
Whether it’s whipping up a batch of the cinnamon rolls Grandma makes every Christmas morning or betraying each other in the wildly-popular “Among Us,” we hope you hear something to pique your interest. Editor Chris Quinn hosts the podcast, and this story features partial transcripts of the activities we discussed.
Recipe class
If your family’s favorite part of the holiday season is the food, then a virtual cooking class might be a fun option. Boot up Zoom, and pick a person to lead the “class.” They can send out the recipe, and then you can make the dish step-by-step. Be sure to share the origins of your recipe, whether it’s an original concoction or a family secret. When you’re done, send pictures in a group text on how everyone’s turned out. For friend groups, a fun option is to make Christmas cookies online, and then drop containers off on porches for neighbors or those who live close-by.
Tip: Pick foods with common ingredients. Food restrictions are easily accommodated here since everyone is making the dish in their own kitchen.
Emily: This one is kind of near and dear to my heart. And it came from, I have two best friends that I went to high school with, and this came from one of their mothers, actually, she moved to the United States and she wanted to make friends. And so she used to do potlucks with a bunch of women in her community. So when we hit COVID, her daughter decided, hey, this is a really good way to connect in person. Let’s do this virtually. So we all made a pavlova for her birthday over Zoom. I think there were about 12 of us on the call. She led it through, we were all holding our bowls up and making sure we had mixed the right way. And people were popping in and out and showing their ovens propped open and all that good stuff.
Chris: All right. So cooking is messy. Well, at least in my house, you get stuff all over your fingers and things. How do you do the camera work if you’re making a recipe? I mean, usually you’re moving around, you got bowls in different places and pots in different places. Do you station the laptop or the iPad or the camera in one spot for the whole kitchen?
Emily: Nobody wants to get a sugary screen all over their iPad, but the way that I’ve done it is I had an iPad. I set it on a stack of books in my kitchen. You can’t be too committed to everything being on screen. You have to kind of be comfortable with people walking in and out of the screen and that kind of thing. The important thing is to make sure you’re all muted when you’re not talking, because otherwise you get a lot of overlap... this is a less formal way of getting together. You don’t need to have your face perfectly in frame. You don’t need to be talking the entire time, just letting your guard down and relaxing a little bit is helpful and I think it works when it feels more organic.
PowerPoint presentation night
Each person on the call prepares a presentation on something they love or are passionate about, and then gives a five-minute PowerPoint. At the end, you can vote to see who gave the most fun presentation, the most informative or the funniest. You can share your presentation through sharing your screen on video conferencing. Here’s some fun ideas for topics: sharing family history, ranking favorite songs or animals or picking what characters your friends would be in a certain show or movie.
Tip: Be sure to give bonus points for niche topics or creative presentations.
Chris: I’m not a PowerPoint guy. I hate PowerPoint, but I think that this might be the first useful purpose for PowerPoint in history.
Emily: I feel like this is a meme that’s been going around the internet. Like, I think we’ve discussed having one, Annie, but we haven’t quite done it yet... It’s things like ranking your favorite characters or talking about what characters your friends would be or giving a presentation on birds or anything you’re passionate about. For example, Annie, what would your PowerPoint be?
Annie: It’s one that you might want to make with me, because I want to do a PowerPoint on why Nickelback should eventually be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s not something I’ve done hard research on, so don’t ask me any questions during this podcast, but it’s an argument that Emily and I have had versus Troy Smith in the office many times. And I feel like that would be the perfect argument to present in a PowerPoint party.
Chris: So, basically the point of this is you just picked some wacky subject that is near and dear to your heart. You put together a brief PowerPoint, a handful of slides?... And then the other people that are on your call... they make their case for whatever their wacky topic is. And at the end of the night, everybody has invested a little time in sharing their passions?
Emily: And it’s just a really fun way to get everybody talking and I don’t even know what mine would probably be. Mine would probably be on birds.
Watch a movie together
There’s nothing like watching holiday films together or binging the latest must-watch series, and luckily, there are apps that allow multiple people to watch films at the same time. The most commonly-used app was called “Netflix Party” but is now called “Teleparty.” This is a Chrome extension that allows you to watch Netflix, Hulu or other online streaming services and adds a chat function. You can also load up your favorite voice or video conferencing software and have that going while you’re watching.
Price: Free (subscription prices for streaming services which provide the movies can vary)
How to install: Go to the website for the extension and follow the instructions.
Chris: So how does that work? If you want it to have three or four members of your family or your friends that are spread across the country, all watch some Christmas movies like “Elf” together or “Love Actually” together for Christmas and talk about it in real time. How do you do that?
Emily: So at the beginning of the pandemic, there was something called Netflix Party, which popped up, it’s a browser extension for Chrome, but now it’s called Teleparty... You can watch things on Netflix or Hulu or Disney+ or whatever. And then there’s also something called Watch2Gether. So if you like watching YouTube videos as a family, or you want to watch YouTube videos with your friends, it’s a really good method. And Annie, I know you’ve used this quite a bit, haven’t you?
Annie: I have. Yeah. Especially when I was in a long distance relationship for two years. You know, when you’re watching a show with your partner and you really don’t want to get ahead of them, you want to be able to have conversations about the episodes you’re watching. So this was a great way to be on the same page. I’ve used it during the pandemic. I watched “The Midnight Gospel” on Netflix with a few friends. And that show is such a strange show, that all of our messages back and forth were just “What is going on?,” but it’s really fun to have that conversation going.
Among Us
“Among Us” is a sneak hit of a video game which is accessible and easy to play with friends. Players are on an abandoned ship or landscape and must complete tasks together. Unfortunately, some crewmates are imposters, who sneak through vents and fake their way through the game to assassinate the other players. Similar to “Mafia” or “Werewolf,” this is a bluffing game where crewmates must work together to figure out who the imposter is and vote them off the ship.
Fun fact: This game is so popular, lawmakers including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez played it on a live stream. That stream became one of the most-watched in streaming-site Twitch’s history.
Price: Free on phones, $5 through Steam on PCs.
Emily: If you’ve played Mafia or you’ve played a Werewolf, those are kind of social deduction games where you’re trying to figure out the imposter or the traitor in your midst. This is very similar to that. It’s just online and a lot of people are playing it... All you’re doing is you play a little character and you run around with your friends and you’re trying to complete tasks which are just little mini games. But there are one or two imposters in your midst who are trying to go around and assassinate everybody on the ship. And you have to try and vote them out. It’s a really fun game. I don’t think they expected how popular it was going to be because there have been some server issues, but it’s a lot of fun.
Chris: I’ve actually played the Werewolf game and had a great time at it. It’s a great bluffing, lying game that especially in a family of strategic thinkers, you’re going to have a lot of fun with. I have a hard time seeing how that would have worked virtually though. I mean, when we played that we’re all around a table and it’s raucous and everybody has a drink in hand. So how does that translate into a virtual experience?
Emily: You operate it through text chat, but I often have... And I’m not sure, Annie how you do it, but I have an app called Discord running in the background. Do you have voice chat on when you play?
Annie: We just all mutually agree to be quiet when you’re playing. And then when it opens up and you’re debating about who the imposter is, then we chat over Discord. But I’m also really bad about gasping. If I’m playing and I happen to be killed by the imposter...Chris, I get what you’re saying because a lot of it depends on that in-person energy and talking back and forth and debating on who it is.
Emily: It’s fun too, because you can chat with the other people who have been eliminated. So you have like a little chat like, “Oh no, they’re voting the wrong person off” kind of thing.
store.steampowered.com/app/945360/Among_Us
(Photo by Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)
Cardgames.io
Cardgames.io is easy to access and can host many classic games, like Hearts or Euchre. Join a game with strangers or create a private room for friends and family to play. It’s free to use, and the interface is very simple. The site is dedicated to classic card games, so you won’t find anything too complicated on here. For video or audio, load up Zoom or Skype, though there is built-in text chat.
Price: Free
Chris: Again, the fun of card games with family is the back and forth. When you’re playing hearts, in my family, when we played hearts, everybody knew that my only goal was to run them, that I didn’t care if I won the whole game, it’s just one time a night. I wanted to run them. And so that created lots of strategy and laughter. Oh, look what he’s doing. Look what he’s doing. How does that translate into a virtual scene?
Emily: I think it’s a situation where just by itself, the software is not going to do that for you. So if you just boot it up and you’re playing cards to kind of silently or in text chat, it might not work quite as well, but if you have Zoom or another video or voice app in the background, then you can still have that kind of back and forth because everybody sees the same table... It’s one of those things where obviously it’s not going to be quite the same as it is in person. There’s something to playing cards with the physical cards, but I think it’s as close of a experience as you can pretty much get.
Skribbl.io (2-8 players)
Pictionary, adapted in a quick, easy-to-play online platform. Play with strangers or create a private room for your team on Skribbl.io, where each player takes turns drawing a picture of a word only they can see, for their teammates to try to guess. Other versions of this game exist on online platforms, but the beauty of Skribbl.io is that it’s playable in a browser, and it’s extremely fast. Hop on a game for minutes, or choose to keep playing for as long as you wish.
Price: Free
Play time: 2 minutes+
Annie: It’s a very fast game. It’s like really fast Pictionary. Basically you can make a private room for your own family or your friend group. You can also play with strangers online, which I’ve done recently. And basically it’s a cross between Pictionary and Hangman... It’s a very simple game. You can just pull it up in a browser. I’ve done it to take a break for two minutes and just play a quick round of scribbling of strangers. It’s a good beginner internet game for people who just want something to do really quickly.
Jackbox (2-8 players)
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Jackbox was already a popular online game to break out at parties. Now, it’s boomed in popularity as an easy way to connect with friends while not being in the same room. The format includes seven party packs for sale, with different games in each. Though some Jackbox games are competitive (“Trivia Murder Party” and “The Devil in the Details”), most are focused on humor and collaboration. Players who love to draw will enjoy games like “Tee K.O.,” “Drawful” and “Patently Stupid.” Word game lovers will enjoy “Quiplash,” “Mad Verse City” and “Blather Round.”
Jackbox can be a low-cost alternative to other cooperative games on the market, since only one person in the group needs to purchase the game or Party Pack to grant access to the rest of the group via screen sharing apps like Zoom or Discord.
Price: $9.99-$23.99, with bundle packs available.
Play time: 5-10 minutes per game, depending on amount of players
Tip: Watch Steam for sales; Jackbox regularly lowers prices or offers some games for free.
Annie: This has been my saving grace for having a social life. Just having Jackbox party nights with friends...Basically each game has a different objective. In some you’re trying to draw pictures of inventions that you’ve created and some you’re rapping against other people seeing who can have the best rhymes and other ones there are trivia parties where you’re trying to get the most questions right. But with a lot of twists thrown in.
Emily: How you get into it is one person sets up the game, sets up a room and then there’s an access code. And so everybody on their phones or their computers goes to a certain URL and can type in the access code to join the room. So basically this is a good one if you want to simplify gaming with somebody who may not be playing as many video games.
Annie: To clarify, too, when you’re playing, you’re playing on your phone. So everybody’s controller for the game is your smartphone.
Online board gaming
You don’t need to necessarily be in the same room to play board games with friends or family. Some online platforms offer board gaming for groups, including Board Game Arena and Tabletop Simulator. Both websites have their advantages. Board Game Arena works on a browser and offers tons of board games to play for free, with expanded offerings for premium subscribers ($2 a month). Tabletop Simulator offers a large range of games to download, and the ability to personalize and build your own games within the platform ($20).
store.steampowered.com/app/286160/Tabletop_Simulator
If you’re looking to play an individual board game, some board game companies offer their own sites, like “Dominion” and “Secret Hitler,” which are both free.
Chris: I’ve wondered if this was a big thing. People can play Monopoly or whatever their favorite game is online. And it appears from what you’ve put together, there are several platforms that allow people to play board games together, even though they’re not together. I’m interested in how that works. I’m also interested in how much room this gives to interaction.
Annie: So on the platforms like Board Game Arena or Tabletop Simulator, those are the two big ones that I know that you can download. You can upload board games, or you can choose from the board games they have there. You know, that might just be the platform for that, but you can pair it with an audio service or a video service and then make it more interactive. And that’s pretty much the way that I’ve been doing it, when I play with friends...It’s not as good as the real thing. But for a pandemic, it’s pretty good. That’s kind of my opinion. I don’t know what you think, Emily.
Emily: I think that that’s something that is true for a lot of things, right? It’s an option that you’re doing because somebody is not close to you. I have a lot of friends who are out of state or family that is in England and that kind of thing. So I am kind of used to this at this point as being a social interaction. And for me it’s fairly fulfilling.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
The game is what it sounds like: people shouting over each other trying to prevent a disaster. In “Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes,” the team has to deactivate a bomb by working on different tasks together. Each player is trying to complete their part of the puzzle before running out of time. This game is chaotic and challenging -- but also a whole lot of fun.
“Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes” can be played on a smartphone or the computer.
Price: $10-$15
Play time: 3-5 minutes per game
Annie: So it sounds like what it is. It’s really hectic, really wild game. I enjoy this game in small doses because everyone is screaming. So basically you’re trying to complete a puzzle. You can’t run out of time or everybody explodes.
Word Blitz
This game can be played on Facebook Messenger for free, with Facebook friends or through daily challenges for anyone in the world. It’s a snappy online version of “Boggle” -- players see how many words they can spell by connecting letters in a grid, in about a two-minute play time. You play three rounds, then see who has the highest score at the end.
This game is easier to keep track of when compared to fellow online word game “Words with Friends,” which is an online version of “Scrabble.”
Price: Free
Play time: 2 minutes per round
Chris: You say it’s a snappy online version of Boggle. How does it work? Does it feel good? Does it feel like you’re playing Boggle? Does it feel like you’re having fun with the people you’re playing with?
Annie: I think so. It’s a very fast game. I play this with my mom all the time. She’s obsessed with this game... I remember last year because this game has been out for a while. I sent requests to play this with so many of my Facebook friends. I had 20 games going... I was very into Word Blitz. And then it kind of faded, but I’m looking to bring it back. Pandemic is a great time to bring it back Word Blitz to get those competitions going again. I got a game started with my mom again. So it’s fun for word game lovers.
Chris: Why do you say it’s easier to keep track of compared to Words with Friends?
Annie: I think Words with Friends, it can go on a little long. I’ve tried to play Words with Friends and they games can get... With Word Blitz, you’re playing three rounds and then there’s a winner and the rounds only take a couple of minutes, whereas Words with Friends, you can have a game going for a few days. You could have bad letters to pull from. For me, I like the speed. I also prefer Boggle to Scrabble. So that might be really why I prefer one over the other.
Chris: All right. So that’s a great list of selections...Will you both be doing some of this over the holiday period?
Emily: Yeah, absolutely. It’s one of those things where my friend’s birthday is in December and we’re going to do a virtual brunch and make pancakes over the computer. And it’s a great way to connect and I feel like people are really looking for that. And I’m certainly missing people that aren’t able to travel for the holidays.
Annie: Yeah. One thing that we did earlier this year that I’m hoping to bring back kind of a twist on what Emily was talking about. We did a virtual music festival where we had people pick different songs to play, rock out. My birthday is coming up in January. I might bring that back for my birthday. It was so much fun. We all took turns, basically deejaying and drinking and having a good time.
Chris: Thank you, Emily. Thank you, Annie.
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