How to Hang Out Together, Separately
5 Tips From Gamers That Will Keep Us Sane Right Now
Like many people, I’m currently working from home and trying to find ways to stay safe and sane at the same time.
In the battle of social distancing, I’ve found video games to be the best way to connect with people. Sure, I can call up a friend and chat, but I want to take my mind off of the global pandemic–which ends up as the inevitable topic of conversation into which many regular phone calls devolve.
We need a distraction from the constant doom and gloom to effectively socialize in a way that doesn’t add to the stress. For me, video games are the perfect way to do this.
Now, if you’re not a “gamer”, don’t be scared. This doesn’t have to be video games in the traditional sense, but these are several online social vehicles that are facilitating my social needs, and they might help you, too.
- Discord. This is a chat client for your phone or computer that gamers frequently use, but it has endless uses for everyone. It has text, voice, and video capabilities. I like that you can form channels, or groups, for particular people or a topic. I wanted to stay in touch with friends about an upcoming game release, but I didn’t want to spam a group text, so I started a discord channel and invited friends I thought would be interested. The folks who wanted to join did, and we were left with a small group that was interested in chatting regularly. In addition, everyone can adjust their notification settings to be silent or not, separate from their phone settings. That way, I don’t have to worry about being obnoxious! The same principle could apply to remote book clubs, remote movie nights, and more.
- Webcam games. If you and friends share the same board game or card game, you can simply point your webcam (even a built-in laptop cam) down at your table and play with each other. Even if you each have a deck of playing cards you can play poker or other card games against each other (granted the odds may be a bit different with several decks, but hey, do you care?). This can have a more natural feel than playing card games or board games with a web-based client, but that’s possible, too, with favorites like Joking Hazard or Settlers of Catan. It’s also a great time to battle your old Pokémon or Magic the Gathering cards with your buds.
- Jackbox games. These might get the biggest laughs of all. Only one person needs to buy the Jackbox game on their computer, then share their screen with the group via Zoom, Skype, or whatever platform you prefer. All the other players join in with their phones in the same game. These games are designed to be hilarious and can get more or less raunchy depending on the crowd, as many have write-in or draw-in responses. They often come in packs of 5-ish so you’ll be sure to find at least one game you like. You can split it up so each person buys one pack and you’ll have enough games to never get bored! If you haven’t played Jackbox games with people, you are missing out!
- Twitch streams. Twitch is a free video game live-streaming service, with an integrated text chat. There are even people streaming non-gaming activities like art and music. You can join a watch party for a TV show or movie. Whether you’re in the chatroom with people you know or not, you can interact with the streamer and everyone else in their chatroom. There are streamers with less than 10 viewers and streamers with thousands. The streamers and other chatters respond to their viewers' comments. Every chatroom I’ve been in has been a welcoming community.
- Console/PC games. Even if you haven’t played video games before, this is the perfect time to learn. Many have an integrated chat client, which makes for easy conversation. Get a few friends to start playing the same game together and learn it together. Or join a friend who is experienced and have them teach you. There are plenty of free-to-play social games like this, such as Fortnite, League of Legends, Apex Legends, World of Warcraft, and Clash of Clans. I’ve found that with your virtual avatars battling together it adds another level to the feel of hanging out.
Hopefully one or more of these will appeal to you. We are all struggling to socialize right now, and it’s important to share experiences in positive ways and not dwell on the world around us. We’ll get through this, but for the time being, let’s try to find some little ways to enjoy spending time with each other.
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