Hosting a game night event is fun for relaxing and bonding with family and friends. You play various games while eating snacks and downing drinks. Hosting this kind of event can be challenging, especially if you’ve never done it. You’d have to consider keeping everyone engaged, comfortable, and safe throughout the night while being a good host. If you’re ready to host the perfect game night, keep reading for a few smart tips.
Make Sure Your Home Is Spotless
Before everything, you should ensure your home is in the best condition for guests. This means you need to clean various surfaces of your house to give your guests the best experience. Tidying up should be regular, but it is especially important when inviting guests to your home. Doing this will show them that you care about their impressions and will go the extra mile to keep them happy.
If you don’t want to do this yourself, you can easily hire a professional home cleaning service to clean the house for you. These experts can do the job at a fraction of the time that you can. They will also have advanced equipment that ensures a good cleaning for various surfaces, including wood, leather, glass, and fabric. With their help, you don’t have to worry about missing a stain on the carpet or frantically vacuuming without a plan.
Keep Pests Away
You don’t want guests to come over and be surprised by creepy crawlies. Pests not only look gross because they usually love dirty homes, but they can also harm people by biting or stinging them, which you don’t want your guests to experience. Check your property for pests and get rid of them as soon as possible before hosting your game night event.
Call pest control services as soon as possible if you find pests like termites, ants, cockroaches, or rodents inside your home. These exterminators can help you eliminate various kinds of pests quickly and surely. Armed with experience, knowledge, and tools, they can safely remove the pests from your property so you can live in peace. They will also help you maintain a pest-free home with regular inspections and preventive solutions that keep these uninvited guests away from the home structure.
Make Your Home Comfortable
Whenever you have visitors, you should always consider their comfort while staying in your home. Especially when hosting a game night event where people will stay for a couple of hours to have fun, their comfort should be your top priority to encourage them to return. There are many different ways to keep them comfortable, so you want to focus on a few things that will improve the conditions of your house for your guests.
For one, start with the temperature. You don’t want your guests to keep sweating because it’s too hot or freezing their fingers off because it’s too cold. You want to find the perfect temperature to satisfy most visitors and have a backup plan if others are still too hot or cold. HVAC maintenance is the most important part, ensuring your HVAC unit can handle your temperature demands without breaking down. You should also provide other temperature control items like cold or hot drinks, fans, heaters, blankets, and others, if the HVAC system is insufficient.
Focus on the little things as well. For example, you can play music in the background to avoid the deafening silence. You can also light some scented candles to make your home smell nice. Just make sure you consider the preferences of your guests. Not everyone will like these things, but you can make a few adjustments to accommodate their requests. That’s what a good host does to ensure all their visitors leave happy at the end of the day.
Don’t Forget About Seating
Guests also need to sit somewhere nice and comfy. You must have a few different seating options to offer people with different preferences. A soft couch, bean bag chairs, benches, and even plush floor rugs can comfort your guests. Make sure you spread this around the house, especially where you will be playing. Try to be creative with it for your game night event, whether using pillows for floor-sitters or bringing in a hammock, to provide as many options as possible.
If you’re set on having a real chair setup for your house, you can also buy a furniture set to establish a specific area for different activities. Check your local furniture outlet and look around for the chairs you want. You can also look online or in antique shops for items that are a bit less expensive. This will help if you have a tighter budget but want furniture for a bit of luxury at home.
You can also try to find multi-purpose seating to maximize space if you have a smaller house. For example, you can buy lounge chairs and ottomans with storage drawers and compartments. You may also get folding chairs that you can put away once your guests leave. These kinds of seating options give you a lot of practicality, so they can be good investments for the long term. Just ensure you opt for quality over quantity so anyone sitting on these items can do so without getting injured.
Think About the Ambiance
The ambiance of your home will help set the mood for your game night event. It can be the difference between a bland gathering and a lively party with family and friends. You want the space to drive the joy of the night and keep it moving until it’s time to go home. Depending on the kind of games you’ll play, you can create a different ambiance that will enhance the experience.
For example, if you are playing a mystery game, you want to play with lighting and create a few dark areas in your home to add to the thrill. Instead of turning on the lights everywhere, consider only using dimmed lights and even candles. You can also use a smoke machine to create that dark vibe that reflects the mystery of your game. Ensure there’s still enough visibility to keep everyone safe while walking around in the dark.
You may also use home audio systems to enhance the vibe. For example, if you are playing a timed game, you can play the sound of a ticking clock over your speakers that will sound an alarm when the time is up. Of course, you can just play some appropriate tunes that everyone can enjoy while playing. You may not notice the ambiance immediately, but it will surely add to the experience and keep everyone engaged in whatever activity you have prepared.
Consider an Outdoor Game Night
Hosting your game night event outdoors is a great idea. You don’t have to cram every one of your guests in a small room to play a simple game. You can also find an open space where people can be more comfortable and free to do whatever they want. It can be in your backyard, front lawn, or rooftop. Wherever it feels right, you can get your guests on board and play to their hearts’ content.
If you don’t have a particularly fun outdoor space for hosting parties, consider some additions to help people feel more comfortable just hanging out under the stars. Start with lighting. Consider hanging fairy lights to create that woodland vibe and some lanterns for added interest. You can also build a firepit to start a campfire when it gets cold. Alternatively, try making smores while playing with some marshmallows, crackers, and chocolates!
You should also consider keeping bugs away. Dark nights are full of moths, mosquitoes, and other critters that you don’t want around while playing games. Put up bug-repellent torches, light some citronella candles, and bring out fans to keep them away. If you still think your outdoor space is not that good, you can work with outdoor living contractors to enhance it. They can help you design a fun space where you can host events no matter what time of day.
Keep Guests Fed
Don’t forget about the food. Every game night event needs delicious food that will keep everyone satisfied while playing various games. You want to serve various tasty snacks and dishes that people can choose from, depending on what suits their palate, whether they’re simple corn chips and a cheese dip or a more complex sashimi plate from your local Japanese restaurant.
If you’re not much of a chef, you can find a few easy-to-make dishes online that will still taste good and fill your guests’ stomachs. You may find a homemade guacamole recipe to complement store-bought nacho chips or a fun cheese board with various cheeses from the nearby grocery. All that matters is how people can enjoy the taste of your food options.
You should also have refreshments planned out when serving food. You want to prepare different drinks that will easily quench people’s thirst and down their food. For example, you may provide cocktails and mocktails to add fun to the night. You can also offer juices and soft drinks for the non-drinkers. Of course, make sure you have drinking water available in the house. Set up a self-serve station so everyone can get their preferred drinks easily.
Make Sure Your Pets Are Well-Behaved
If you have pets, you must ensure they’re well-behaved around your guests. Enjoying a game night event can be hard if your dog barks constantly or your cat is ready to pounce and scratch anyone who gets too close. You can enroll your pup in a dog training academy as early as now to learn manners and obey your commands. You can also create a secluded room to keep them away from your guests.
Some pets also get stressed if there are too many people around, so have a plan to keep them calm during your game night. Bring out their toys to keep them occupied, and keep them in a separate room if you’ll be making a lot of noise. They will be much more comfortable and less likely to cause trouble if they’re occupied throughout the night. If this is not possible, you can just call a family or friend to pet-sit for the night.
Bring Out the Fun Games
The games are the most important part of your game night event. You want to find a game that your guests can enjoy and partake in without too much difficulty learning the rules. Maybe you’re a board game fan or more of a card person. You may also bring out more modern video games you can play with multiple players. There are also more classic games that you can play on a pool table or a dart board.
If you have many ideas, consider making a game night menu where your guests can pick from your selection. This will ensure everyone has a say in the night’s activities. Make sure you have every game you’ve listed and can explain the rules if anyone asks you about the mechanics. You can also ask your guests for game ideas a few days before the date to gather their suggestions and prepare accordingly.
Make Sure Guests Have a Way Home
Finally, ensure you send guests off safely at night’s end. Your game night event should always be concluded with safety, especially if you served alcoholic drinks. Before the party ends, talk to your visitors about how they will get home. Some will have cars to drive home, but others may need help. Consider getting those with a car to give others a ride. You can also hire a taxi cab service through a transportation app, which will have your guests home safely in no time. Always prioritize everyone’s safety to keep hosting these fun events with your close friends and family.
With these tips, you can host the perfect game night event. Everyone will enjoy your planned games, keep themselves filled with food offerings, and get home safely at the end of the night. Make sure you prioritize their comfort, enjoyment, and safety, and you’ll have a fun event that people will want to attend repeatedly. Keep the laughter up, start a friendly competition, and make good memories with your loved one – this makes a game night successful.
