‘Psych!’ and Other Playful Pastimes #AtoZChallenge

Thank god it’s Friday! Weekends allow me to watch TV shows/ movies, catch up with friends online, sleep an extra hour in the mornings, and take a break from the daily writing and reading demands of this gruelling blogging challenge called A to Z!

One activity that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed doing with my friends during lockdown, is playing online games. My friends, who are more tech savvy than I am, have introduced me to some really fun games that last for long or short durations of time.

Here are some reasons you should be playing community games, if you aren’t already:

• They are healthy distractions from the negativity born of the coronavirus lockdown
• Most of them are free, allowing you to save your money
• They make you interact and connect with your friends
• They also make you meet new people
• Many of these games enhance your knowledge, or at least impart new tidbits of information
• Playing games is a good, clean and old-fashioned pastime

Many hardcore gamers are taking advantage of this lockdown period to hone their skills at playing their favourite video games. Others, who are new to the online gaming community, are enjoying being introduced to it. After all, there is a limit to the amount of TV you can watch!

I have always had only three games on my phone, built for solo play. These are time-tested ones and I continue to play them.

MY FAVOURITE SINGLE PLAYER GAMES:

1. Solitaire– the single player card game built on well-thought strategy
2. Word City– a crossword puzzle game where you have to create words from the given 6-7 alphabets in each round
3. Candy Crush– the addictive matching game
4. Cut the Rope– though now deleted, I used to enjoy this physics based game a lot

I’ve never been one for excessive gaming, and these three options fit my occasional gaming needs. However, for the first-time since owning a phone, I’ve downloaded community games which I’m thoroughly enjoying!

On the basis of my friends’ recommendations, I’ve rounded up a few popular community games that you can try during lockdown.

COMMUNITY GAMES TO PLAY WITH FAMILY/FRIENDS ONLINE (AVAILABLE ON IPHONE AND ANDROID):

1. PSYCH! OUTWIT YOUR FRIENDS:

In this game, every player makes up fake answers to real trivia questions. Then each player has to guess the real answer amidst the fake ones. The real answer is usually extremely outrageous and quite difficult to guess!

2. PLATO: FIND FUN:

Essentially a group chatting app with many in-built community games. You can play with your friends or with new people who are users of the app.

3. HOUSEPARTY:

Similar to Plato, Houseparty is a video chatting app that comes with built-in games.

4. BUNCH:

Similar to Plato and Houseparty.

5. NEVER HAVE I EVER:

We’ve all played this drinking game with our friends in real life, but now you can do it online without having to think of funny questions to ask!

6. CHARADES!:

Basically, dumb charades with many variations, where players can dance, sing, act or sketch to make their team mates guess the allotted word or phrase.

7. WORD CHUMS!:

This game is basically online Scrabble, and can be played as slow or fast as you need, with known or unknown players

8. CHESS TIME – MULTIPLAYER CHESS:

Make a move and wait for your buddy across the world to make theirs!

9. TREASURE HUNT:

This is not an app-based game, but can be easily coordinated over Whatsapp. One person makes clues and posts on the group. A time of half an hour is given to each player to find the clues in their respective homes. The answers to clues have to be submitted as pictures with the player clearly visible in the picture, and must be shared only with the coordinator of the treasure hunt. The player who solves maximum clues in the shortest time wins!

10. OLD SCHOOL GAMES LIKE ANTAKSHARI AND DUMB CHARADES:

Get your uncles and aunts or college gang together for some old school fun on Zoom or other group video apps. Sing or act your heart out as individual players or teams per household!

My daily 4 p.m. ‘Psych!’ game has become an important part of my routine, and really helps beat the drudgery of everyday tasks. I hope you’ll try some of these games this weekend and feel happy while doing so. I’d love to know if you do try them.

This is also my tip to beat the lockdown blues today. Just play a game with your friends or family online- it’s an instant mood-lifter!

As for a TV show recommendation:

“Project Runway” is a fashion-based reality TV show that I absolutely loved watching in my college years. Much like Masterchef, the contestants of this show are small-time designers who have to prove themselves through weekly fashion based challenges. There’s plenty of talent, loads of good-looking people and a lot of bitchiness involved!

A book I love is:

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, which is a fabulous treatise on the way people lived in 19^th century England. It strangely rings true to Indian circumstances even today. Austen’s sharp wit and beautiful writing make it an absolute pleasure to read.

That’s it for today folks- happy weekend to you!

Please check out my daily update videos on Instagram Stories for #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer and follow me there to stay better connected. Also tell me your favourite TV Shows/ movies/ books/ bloggers with the letter P?

Poitu Varein till Monday! (Goodbye in Tamil)

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This post has been written for the #AtoZChallenge 2020. My theme this year is #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer, where I’m journaling my thoughts during the coronavirus lockdown, and sharing numerous recommendations that will help keep your spirits up. Read my other posts here:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O

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*This is not a sponsored post.

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