How to Have a Successful Games Night
By Ben Salter
Believe it or not multiplayer gaming doesn’t have to be all about pwning n00bs online to become totally 1337! You can actually play with your friends, you know in the same room old school style. But there are a few things you need to get right, follow the guide below and your friends will love you, or at least won’t hate you and start chasing you with a 2x4 containing a rusty nail.
Forward Planning
Crucial to any event, plan before things happen. Don’t wait until your guests are about to arrive and madly rush around trying to set up everything. Start planning the day before, it’s a crazy idea I know, but it will all make sense if everyone arrives before you have time to buy some refreshments. You don’t want thirsty gamers; it’s a recipe for disaster.
Important: Arrange any equipment you need your mates to supply like games or controllers in advance! If living with the parentals make sure you tell them about it ahead of time and get the go ahead, mum probably won’t be too happy if you spring it on her 5 minutes beforehand.
The Games
Pick the game(s) you want to play, and make sure you have them available. Ideally getting stuck into one or two games is best, although some variety doesn’t hurt especially if a genre you like isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Recommendations
What you want to play is really up to you, but there’s a few out there that you can’t go wrong with. I recommend having any of the following on hand, and perhaps even a backup or two.
- Rock Band (PS3/360/Wii)
- Super Smash Brothers Brawl
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (or World at War) (PS3/360)
- Halo 3
- Goldeneye (N64) It still rocks!
What you want to play is not only up to you, but your guests. Get everyone to bring some games you don’t have in your collection if you want a greater selection, the most important thing is to have a variety of genres available. Unless you plan on spending the entire night trying to beat Halo 3 on legendary with ridiculous skulls turned on a mix will definitely be more enjoyable. Playing nothing by FPS’s all night will become a little tedious, especially if you’d rather a racing sim any day of the week. Remember different gamers have different tastes.
Important: Have games from a wide range of different genres, and don’t just sit there playing a single player game, this is a social event remember!
Consoles & Controllers
Make sure you have enough for everyone you invite, if you don’t ask some of your friends to bring some along. If your setup only allows for one TV and you have more than 4 people make sure you pass the controllers around frequently. It may also be a wise decision to have a few handhelds ready, the portable consoles have some great multiplayer games to fill in the time.
Important: Get your friends to bring over any controllers or consoles that you may need
Food & Refreshments
Your human friends will probably have the need to eat and drink to sustain life, remember people have allegedly died from playing WOW and forgetting to drink, you don’t want that happening at your games night.
Purchase some general snack foods, preferably things that can be eaten while locked in an intense battle, or quickly during load screens. If you want to supply dinner, or an equivalent meal do this before, or during a break between games. Pizza is easy, especially if everyone chips in with the costs (which they should money doesn’t grow on trees!). However the last thing you want is cheese mysteriously appearing in your 360 disc drive, so eating this before hand, even in a different room if possible is highly recommended.
Having cold drinks on hand is a must, hopefully some of your decent friends will even supply some. Soft drink is always good, but depending on the age group beer or another beverage of your choice can be substituted in (especially if you want to increase the fun by introducing drinking games). Remember having an extra bottle of Coke in the fridge is always better than running out before the night is over. If you don’t end up using it save it for another time, win win.
Important: Hopefully your friends will bring some food and/or drinks with them but don’t rely on it. Make sure you have enough; too much is better than running out prematurely.
Cleanliness
This is just general decency and hygiene that should go without saying. The last thing you want is for people to think you have a cat with a serious malting problem after using the bathroom, when in reality you don’t have a cat at all (ewww). Clean up the house before everyone arrives. Do the bathroom first, clean it like mum makes you on Christmas day before the family arrives. The area where you plan to play games, and the kitchen are also important, but really this is a good excuse for a general tidy up. Yes that means a vacuum and a sponge where required (I suggest using a chux, wipe over everything).
Cleaning supplies: Status on standby
When eating while gaming making a mess is almost a certainty, so make sure you are prepared to counter this. Have cleaning supplies on alert! Wipe up spills as they happen, especially liquid, it’s bound to happen at some point just make sure it’s away from the console!
Important: Have bins easily accessible so people can clean up their own mess, actually clean the bathroom I can’t stress that enough. Keep the chux or paper towel on standby, these will work best for spills. Don’t spill red things.
It’s not all about the games!
Remember this isn’t Xbox Live, it’s all for fun. Nobody likes a sore loser (or cocky winner) pass around the controller, rotate the games and make sure everyone has fun. Top up everyone’s drink, make sure they’ve had enough to eat, perhaps even engage in some intelligent or controversial conversation.
Non-gaming guests
If any of your guests want to move off to grab something to eat, have a chat or perhaps check out their favourite MyMedia site then let them. Gaming without a break for an entire night isn’t for everyone. Depending on how many people you end up inviting gaming may not be the main event at your planned games night. If all of a sudden everyone starts bringing their girlfriend, or second cousin who’s staying with them for the weekend then you may end up with more people than you bargained for. But that’s alright, if there’s just one or two invite them in to play, don’t isolate them in the corner for the entire night. If there’s more they may enjoy socialising with each other, but as the host make sure you talk to them, make them feel welcome and involve yourself with everyone.
Important: Win or lose graciously, let people move away from the games and socialise, and make sure you do as well to make everyone feel welcome.
The Aftermath
Ask your guests to help the clean up, especially if they stayed the night, don’t let them escape the minute the easy off BAM! Comes out. Grab a garbage bag and throw everything that can be disposed off into it. Once this is done you’ll notice everything generally looks better, they may now leave but if they offer to continue to help out accept it.
Pack up all your expensive gaming gear, make sure that all discs are in cases and that nothing is left on the floor. Vacuum the area you used and straighten up any furniture that moved as if it has a mind of its own. Wash any dishes put the garbage bag outside in the bin and congratulations you’ve successfully survived the aftermath of a gaming night.
Important: Don’t let anyone escape, they owe their cleaning assistance. Also further research may be required before you select easy off Bam as your cleaner. I don’t trust the “coin test”.
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