With social distancing still in full effect, it’s important to find ways to have fun and stay connected inside. Playing your favorite board games and card games with friends, family, and people around the world is a great way to do just that, and options like Board Game Arena and your app store make it easy for anyone with a computer or smartphone and internet connection to get started. Learn more and see how to play here: (link to the blog)
Play Over 150 Board Games Online
Board Game Arena is an amazing resource for playing board games online. It’s easy to sign up and has more than 150 free board games to play against other real players around the world. From classic chess to modern board games, this site has huge variety.
The games are laid out in an organized fashion and feature great tutorials on how to play the popular board games online. The website is simple to use and is a fun source of entertainment for any age! Board games are free to play, but there are also some premium features available to purchase.
In-Game Interface
Once you’ve found a game, you’ll enter the in-game interface where you will the see the board, the actions an opponent took on their turn, turn times, game prompts, and more. A great feature of the interface is that mousing over a card will reveal a “tooltip” text box that will tell you what it does. This helps a lot when you’re first starting out.
Learning how to play any of the games is easy to do with the “How to Play” link, which links to a resource area. You’re able to watch video tutorials of the games and read the instructions at your own pace. Another great feature is the ability to play against the computer to practice the game or improve your skills. This is also a nice option for people who would prefer to play solo.
Here is an informative video that walks you through how to set up an account and get playing on Board Game Arena. If you want to get playing, this is an excellent resource to watch before getting started.
If you’re looking for a fun activity, Board Game Arena is a perfect resource for you. Here are a few of their most popular board games available to play:
- Stone Age – Stone Age is a turn-based game where players take turns placing figures on board spaces to perform action and gather resources to win the game. There are only a few spaces on the board so strategy and making the best decision for the round is a major factor in the game. The goal is to create the most advanced civilization you can throughout the game. Each game is around 30 minutes long and can be played with 2-4 players.
- Can’t Stop – Can’t Stop is a fast paced, simple game that has been around for decades. Press your luck until it breaks! Can’t Stop is a purely luck game where you try and push the odds as far as possible. Roll die to attempt to make combinations of numbers, then push those numbers as far as they will go by attempting to roll them over and over again. An average game takes around 7 minutes and can be played with 2-4 players.
- Lucky Numbers – A little bit of bingo, a little bit of Sudoku, and a lot of fun! Lucky Numbers is an easy game to play where players race to complete their “garden.” Draw, place, and organize your garden of numbers to improve your chances of winning.
Great Games on Your Smartphone
Whether you have an Android or Apple device, there is a plethora of games available to play on your phone. Smartphone games are a great way to find a wide variety of games to play just about anywhere. From puzzles, word games, strategy, and role-playing adventure games there is a large selection of games available for seniors. Here are some of our favorite smartphone games:
- Words with Friends – Similar to Scrabble this vocabulary-based game is one of the most popular of all time on the app store. Players take turns building words crossword-puzzle style for points. Players can find opponents from their Facebook friends list as well as by username. Play up to 40 games at one time using handy push notifications to keep up to date with all the action.
- Tetris – This game has been around for decades and has recently been revamped to work on smartphone or tablet devices. The game is simple; organize the shapes to keep the area cleared before they stack up to the top of the board. There is a free version of the app as well as an ad-free paid version on the Google Play store and Apple App Store.
- Candy Crush – You’ll have hours and hours of fun with this popular game. Simple mechanics and great graphics keep you coming back for more. The goal is to line-up similar candies to “crush” them and clear them from the board. The app is available to play on the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store. There are over 5,000 levels to try and beat!
Playing Games Through Virtual Meetings
Nothing compares to playing a game face to face with another person, unfortunately due to social distancing this has become harder. Thankfully with technological advancements we’re able to virtually meet face to face through our smartphones and computers. We recently posted a blog on how to do this here. Virtual meetings don’t just have to be for conversation, here are a few great games you can play over a virtual meeting with someone:
- Battleship – Battleship was originally made to be a simple pencil and paper game but has been popularized as the strategic board game we all know today. If both players have the board game, simply setup your board and play the game as you would face to face but virtually through a meeting. If you don’t have the board game you can simply print off or draw the Battleship board and play with a pencil and paper. Print off a copy of the board and read the rules of how to play here.
- Chess – Chess is a classic game that almost anyone knows how to play. All you need is 1 other person to play with, and you’ll both need a chess set to play virtually. Simply setup your boards individually on each side of the meeting and make your moves. The opposite player will have to remember to move their opponent’s pieces on their own board to represent their moves for the game to work.
- Yahtzee – This age old classic has been around for a long time and for good reason; the game is simple to play and all you need is a scoring sheet, a set of 5 dice, and a pencil. Assuming both parties have a set of dice you’ll be able to play virtually over a zoom or FaceTime meeting. Here are some printable Yahtzee scoring sheets for your next game night.
Finding great games to play online, on your smartphone, or virtually is easy to do in 2020. Bring your friends or make new ones with these popular games and game sites. What are your favorite games to play? Let us know how you like using technology to stay connected through gaming.
Looking for some help on getting setup virtually? Check out our blog on Staying Connected with Family During COVID-19: Ways to Use Technology where we list out different meeting technology and apps for meetings during social distancing.