28 April 2020

Living in lockdown doesn’t need to be boring. Playing games is an excellent way to keep mentally active, stay in touch with friends, make new ones and have fun! Here’s some tips to get you started

2:00 Min

1 Grab a pack of cards

Take yourself back to the time you went backpacking around Europe with just a dog-eared book and a battered pack of cards to amuse yourself? Now is a good time to reacquaint yourself with all those long-forgotten card games.  

If you have young kids, try these or these.  If you have an adult group, these games will help you to pass the time. We especially like the idea of playing with beer and pizza!  

If you are self-isolating, you can access several games here. Or why not learn how to play Bridge and join one of the many online communities.

2 Dust off a classic

Remember when a game of Monopoly used to take a fortnight? Now is the perfect time to get stuck in to a marathon session.  

Or dig out your old Scrabble set and test your word skills. If you can’t find anyone to play with or you live on your own, there are always options online or via mobile App.

Top tip: free-to-play Risk allows you to challenge both friends and strangers on a range of entertaining maps.

3 Download an App and learn a new game

The Apple App store and Google Play store are brimming with excellent versions of classic and modern board games in app form. Firm favourites include Carcassonne, Splendor and 7 Wonders – all of which include excellent tutorial modes. 

4 Check out the internet

Boardgamearena.com boasts an astonishing array of board games. It’s free to join and there are tens of thousands of players online for you to play against. Find a classic or learn a new game. Top tip: check out Can’t Stop for an infuriating but highly addictive dice game.  

If you can play or are interested in learning how, Chess.com is also worth a look. 

 

5 Fight the pandemic from your living room!

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in lockdown with a couple of decent gaming buddies, buy a copy of Pandemic Legacy Season 1. It’s the board game equivalent of watching Contagion on Netflix!  

Choose a character and join the fight in this highly entertaining and rapidly-evolving game that changes each time you play it. Can you save humanity?