Deciding to host a game night can be a blast once its up and happening every week. However, there are many things that you’ll need to consider for making the event fun for you and your guests. Here’s our list of 8 things that you’ll want to keep in mind for game night.

1. Party Size When You Host a Game Night

You can invite as many people as you'd like to your game night. If you'd like, you can invite 3-5 people, for a small game night. You could also invite 7-10 people to make things a bit interesting - just make sure to read on the game boxes what the recommended/required amount of people per game is.

2. Picking a Game

An excellent way to figure out what everyone would like to play is simple. Send out a group text or email with several different examples that people can choose from. Then, you can leave it to a vote. A game that scores the highest amount of votes can be played for the night, and the others can be played at a later date. You can find all kinds of different games at nearby game stores such as Level One Game Shop. Having social party games that can handle large numbers of people flexibly and that still engage people who have already played the game is always highly recommended to have on hand to stretch time or as an emergency replacement if too many people or not enough people show up, or if the game picked doesn't last as long as needed. One of our favorites is Secret Hitler.

3. Getting Into a Routine When You Host a Game Night

Once you've hosted several game nights, it's good to note which games are the most liked and which are not. You can continue your game nights more frequently by keeping the majority happy. This may not happen the first time around, but don't let that discourage you. To get into a routine, it will take several attempts, which also means you will have many more game nights!

4. Having an Introductory Period as Well as a Backup Plan

We all know things may not go as well as we plan sometimes. Make sure to keep back up games and ideas prepared. If something doesn't go quite according to plan, you can have something else to fall back on. This will make you look like you are on top of things at all times. Also, make sure to have an introductory period in which you can give you and your guests time to talk before you start your game/s. This will let everyone get a bit more comfortable before starting.

5. Have a Good Place to Play

Having a place to play your games is key. Using living room space or a separate game room is preferable. If your rooms are cluttered with a lot of things that can get in the way, you will have a terrible time with your guests. They will be unhappy, and it may be likely that they will not come back. Also, If you are using a game board or cards, a coffee table might be essential.

6. The Food

You'll want to make this one an easy one. You should have food that you can easily snack on, which will not make a huge mess. Pizza and chips are an effortless combination that can help. Chips can be used at the start of the night before people get too hungry. Pizza can later be brought in to help with their rumbling stomachs. Plus, once everyone leaves for the night, it makes clean up a breeze.

7. You May Need Extra Supplies

Be prepared to supply other items outside of the game's box. Sometimes you will need to have additional items such as pencils/pens, crayons, paper, dice, coins, etc. There's nothing wrong with being a little over-prepared. The guests will appreciate it as well!

8. Drinks as Well

Having drinks accessible is a must as well. You don't want anyone to lose interest just because they get overly thirsty. You can go with alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages based on people's preferences. Soda is an easy one in which you can use plastic red solo cups or cans. Some people like to do a bit of wine tasting as part of their introductory period, which is a great alternative. That's all there is to it! Now go out there and create some memories with your exceptional hosting abilities!