Last weekend I had one of the best nights I’ve had in a really long time. I decided to host a game night at my house with a new group of friends. And while we didn’t do anything particularly special, being with friends made it special all the same.
With my heart full from the positive vibes, I’d like to reflect on the experience and share why I think game night is a great tool for enhancing both your social life and your money.
Hosting Game Night Is Way Cheaper Than Going Out
One of the great things about game night is that it’s not that expensive. In fact, I think you can have a solid game night for almost no money at all.
There were seven of us at my house. And I’d estimate that we spent less than $40 for the entire evening lasting from 6:30p -11:30p.
That’s up to 17 times cheaper than going out for dinner and drinks which, at $20 – $100 per person, could have easily run us a bill of $700 for a hangout of the same duration.
With just a few pizzas, several bottles of wine, and a handful of dice or a deck of cards – you can host a great game night night for a modestly sized group of people that rivals any night out on the town.
Game Night Helps Build Friendships
Shared experience is the hallmark of great friendships. And to have meaningful shared experiences, there needs to be space and an environment for intimacy and vulnerability to happen.
Hosting game night is great for this since it usually goes down in the intimate space of your house. What better way to be vulnerable with people than welcoming them into your personal space – free from all of the pretense and distractions you’d encounter at say a bar or restaurant?
During our game night, I was able to learn a lot about my friends. For instance, one of them shared the very personal story of her coming out as gay after living many years as straight. She told of her experience with her first serious boyfriend and how he selflessly helped her come out and begin living life as her true self.
To be able to share amazing stories like this is a major plus of hosting game night!
It’s Easier To Stay On Track With Game Night
Next week I’m going on hard mode. As its name suggests, hard mode will be an intense period of focus, discipline, and self control as I aim to increase my productivity, slay bad habits, and accomplish a few goals I’ve had my sights on for some time now.
In order for me to be successful, I’m going to need to be strategic with just about every choice I make – especially the ones pertaining to socializing.
Going out drinking with friends is a blast, but it almost always throws off my night time routine and ability to function at a high level the next day. Then I end up turning to coffee to power me through, thus giving way to another habit I’d like to keep under control.
Hosting game night is a great tool for helping us be social while also staying on track. I can invite my friends over on a Saturday evening and host game night from 5p – 9p. Then I can do my nightly routine of meditation, stretching, and reading before getting in bed by 10 each night.
Tips For Hosting An Amazing Game Night
Intrigued enough to want to host your own game night? Awesome! Here are a few tips to help you make it a big success.
Keep It Simple
Naturally, you may be tempted to gold plate your game night into an extravagant affair. It’s normal to feel pressure to impress and make everyone as comfortable as possible – but really all you need is a clean house, a few drink options, and snacks or easily shareable food such as pizza.
The act of being together with other people should be the focus. Therefore, save yourself the stress and pressure of going overboard with preparations. Set the time, warmly welcome everyone when they arrive, and enjoy the moment.
Play Farkle, Thank Me Later
With only six dice, my friends and I had a blast playing a game introduced by a member of our group known as Farkle.
What I loved most about the game is how simple, strategically nuanced, and engaging it was. Unlike my all time favorite board game, Risk, Farkle was extremely fast paced and jovial to play.
Rotate Hosting Duties
Once you have a solid group of friends for consistent game nights, consider mixing things up by passing the hosting baton from time to time.
This way you’ll all get a chance to host game night in your own unique way while giving everyone else a chance to host it in their uniqueness. Remember, it’s all about those shared experiences!
What’s Your Most Epic Game Night Story?
Growing up, my friends and I used to have the most epic game nights over Risk. We would easily play for 6 or more hours until someone won. It was usually our friend Anthony, who we affectionately called the “loose cannon” of the group to set the final act of the game in motion with his all or nothing play style.
Those are great memories indeed. But what are your fondest game night memories? And what do you think of my assessment of game night as a solid resource to add to your financial toolbelt?
As always, drop me a comment below!