Video games have undoubtedly monopolized fun in the 21st century. It started with PC games and arguably boomed with the Nintendo 64 when the 4 controller feature was rolled out. From that point on, every game and every console had a huge multiplayer element. After that it became a race to the biggest and the baddest audience. People from all over the world were playing video games it’s their friends. Then the internet hit. The game changer of all game changers smashed through to the gaming industry and became the number one defining component in all of gaming. We haven’t looked back. There has been a resurgence of vintage and nostalgic markets popping up over the last 5 years. In video games, though? It’s negligible. People want the newest thing. People want the best graphics. People want the most immersive. In that light, it may be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what to play. Sure, you can always jump in on a clan or online group of sorts. But between you and your buddies? The choices are endless.
Here’s a comprehensive list of unique video games you can enjoy with friends.
Casino Games
The most underrated video games in the gaming world are casino games. People tend to categorize them in a different light. But in actuality, they’re the largest group in the world, it’s millions of active users betting billions upon billion every single day. When you think about it, they offer the most options and have real world advantages. Take a look at industry player 918KISS and the options they have. They, like many, offer a plethora of ways to play and win. They’re undeniable in their approach to accessible money exchanges. On top of that, this model has been proven to be the best for groups and friends to gather around. If you’ve got friends, near or far, trying out casino games may be a totally new and exhilarating experience. Here are some of the best you can play:
Poker is an international favorite when it comes to playing with friends. There is a whole bunch of forms and versions to figure out and master. But the undisputed king of them all is Texas Hold ‘Em. The dynamics of Texas Hold ‘Em make it so you can really work on your bluffing skills. Everybody has their own tragedy. If you can bet and fold in an undesirable manner, you can mask your highs and lows. You can purposefully create patterns of action and then flip them on their head for massive gains. It’s about being able to read and lie to the people around you without any trace. It truly is a game of nerves, strategy, and imposing will. Translating it to the digital platforms means relying actively on moves. Bet, rush, fold, and move your chips around to make people bend to you.
Blackjack is way faster paced. It’s the closest you can get to pure gambling while actively playing against your peers. You can go in and out if you want. But making it a game among friends requires some rules. If you play first to a certain win-streak, you’ve got yourself a competitive set of guidelines against each other as opposed to just the dealer. There is, after all, a test of nerves and averages in terms of you want to go about playing your hand.
Pure gambling games like baccarat are less about strategy and just about winning. There’s no way you can predict the outcome of a set of hands, and there’s no way to play against each other. The best part about games like these is the feeling of winning together. That still counts as a game you can enjoy with your friends. You all win online, and then you can re-up and go to more strategic games like poker. That, if you can just go out for a nice dinner. But then again, why not press your luck for a double? The lure is there. You just have to click and play.
Party Games
When it comes to games with friends, there are a few that really come up, especially for parties. When they got to the scene, people doubted them. Boomers couldn’t understand why generation X would be contented with a television screen and some plastic controller during a party. “Back in my day…” the conversation would start, followed by a banal speech that you knew was exaggerated, yet still, somehow, boring. Today we know the value and the power of these party games. They’re a staple of almost every get together of the 21st century. Here are some of the very best that you can enjoy with your friends.
Warioware may not be something most westerners go to when it comes to party games, and that’s a shame. If you’re reading this and you have, you know the endless laughs and the high pressure button control that every single one of the players needs in order to win. Warioware is a Nintendo game that uses little mini games that are both ridiculous and hilariously difficult. Most of them are styled after fun Japanese arcade games with objectives such as threading a needle, blowing up a balloon, and putting a cat in a bag. I know, it sounds strange, and it is. That’s the beauty of Warioware. It’s absurd and campy. It’s nonsensical and often in Japanese. But who cares? It’s fun and you’ll have your entire group laughing the night away.
Have you ever seen The Hurt Locker? The movie where U.S. military officers have been tasked to defuse bombs in the middle of the desert? Well, if you want all the chaos with none of the risk, and all the fun, check out Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The objective is simple: diffuse the bomb. The kicker is that the person charged with defusing the bomb has no idea how and scrambled instructions have been given to everybody else. You can have as many people give instructions. You want. See how far you can go with this extreme and confusing version of “telephone”. You and your friends will learn really quickly who and what each other is all about. You’ll see where people butt heads. You’ll see who takes control. But above all, you’ll want to keep playing over and over again.
The classic racing game, brought to you by the harbinger of fun and wholesome party games, Nintendo’s Mario Kart, is the king of all party games. You can choose up to four players on a screen in various configurations of view. You’ve got all your favorite Nintendo characters with their own special moves and abilities. It’s by far the most popular party game across all age groups, and for good reason. Mario Kart brings back nostalgia and fast paced reflexes, packaging them together in a brightly colored and often random mix of attacks and top speed. Once this franchise has been around for so long, your kids probably know how to play this, too. This is great or bonding with them or even jumping in on the action during one of their get-together. It’s a great time.
Fighting And Adventure Games
Everyone has a soft spot for fighting games. They’re built into the fabric of childhood gaming. We remember staying up all night at a friend’s house trying to perfect special movies and perfect parry’s. It’s the ultimate flex of skill and the ultimate show of video game dominance. When we talk about games that revolutionized gameplay, the field of change has always rested on the fighting games. Look at Street Fighter. It went from loose storylines and robotic characters to an international brand worth billions. Cheesy movies were made of it in the 90’s at the expense of true fans who preferred the anime. Any way you cut it, fighting games have a special place in our hearts. And for parties, these next few are the cream of the crop.
Do you like to Smash? I hope you like to Smash. Because if you’re with a group of gamers, more likely than not, you’ll encounter this throwback legend of a game, Super Smash Bros. Melee. This game is notorious for both feuds and alliances—rivals and competition. It’s a game for the quick-witted and the even quicker fingers. Nothing can compare to its multiplayer gameplay. 4 players share a single screen, fighting to keep their eye on their character in an explosion of carnage and attacks. It’s a bit intimidating at first, but once people get the hang of it, it becomes everyone’s favorite multiplayer fighting game. In recent years, it’s lost a bit of steam. Probably because the game itself is old enough to buy a beer in every country except the United States. But it’s cult following and its availability is still every bit as captivating as it was in 2001.
If you’re under the age of 30, you probably don’t remember LAN parties. It’s where us nerds used to hook up our PCs to a local area network and play games against each other. Sounds like ancient technology, doesn’t it? Well, it may be, but it gave us some of the best times in our lives. Want to dive back into the nostalgia of classic first person shooters? Look no further than Quake 3: Arena. It’s everything you could ever want in a PC LAN party game. Sure, Counter Strike had a larger reach and, in the end, Steam Engine came out on top. But that doesn’t discount the insanity that is Quake 3: Arena. For starters, it’s one of the few games to be internationally recognized as the best PC game of its time. Nothing came close. Quake 3 is what gave rise to all the crazy gaming gear you see today. People developed the special gaming mouse specifically to allow one to steady their wrist in high speed movement and get the headshot. All those strange ergonomic keyboards were meant to reduce wrist flexion and even friction during gameplay. So next time you have a party, try to set up a LAN party. Download the game online, and let your mind be blown by something that came out in 1999.
Sports
When you pop in a sports game, whether it be FIFA, MADDEN, NBA 2K, or UFC, you can be absolutely sure there will be a total riot. There’s something wild about sports games. You can have a bunch of people in a room playing a fighting game, glued to the screen in concentration, and it won’t hold a candle to the kind of decibel points a sports game can get people. Add to that the most fun element of playing sports games with your finds: the trash talk. Oh goodness, the trash talk is epic. Nothing is sacred in a sports game. You know all the things people say about each other online while playing new games like Fortnite? Same thing, but in person. If the person on the other end of those insults decides they don’t want to take it anymore, well, that’s on you. But the gameplay will be an absolute party . You and your friends can choose any one. There’s so many franchises for every kind of sport. There’s even Bass Fishing (it’s so much more fun than you’d expect). You just have to be mildly knowledgeable of the teams, and let the controls take care of itself. Mind you, the most updated and current players are in direct sync with the performance of said player the previous year. You ever hear someone say: “you know Lebron has a 3-point attribute of 78?” This is because in previous years, that particular attribute may have been different. It’s all about the year you play it in.
All in all, video games and friends go together like peanut butter and jelly. They’ll always be inseparable. So whether we want to play them at a party or in the living room on a random Tuesday night, you can rest assured that they’ll always be available.
