Life in the 21st century is incredibly busy. Between work, commuting, commitments at home, side hustles, keeping fit, and working on ourselves, it can be hard to find the time to meet up with friends.
Especially as we grow older and take on more responsibilities both at work and at home, the time we have to hang out with our pals gets smaller and smaller. It’s not just you, either. They’re also finding it difficult to set some time aside to meet up with you because they’re in exactly the same boat.
That just compounds the problem since the few gaps that you have available in your calendar often don’t line up with the free slots that they have in theirs, meaning you can go weeks or even months without seeing your buddies.
But while 21st-century living is responsible for a good chunk of this, it can also be the solution. After all, technology has played a major role in helping to keep us connected with each other, including with the people we love.
However, there are only so many video calls and group Zoom sessions you can have before things become stale. So, instead, many people are harnessing the power of online games to bridge the gap between them and their pals. In theory, just about any multiplayer title will work, but there are some games that work better for this than others. Here are some of the most effective options.
Poker
Poker has long been a game that has brought people together. For well over a century, it's been common for friends to organize a poker night where they can sit around a table with their buddies, play cards, chat, and have a good time.
The internet has helped to make the game much more accessible by facilitating the creation of online card rooms like PokerStars that offer a mix of different variants and provide educational resources such as info on how poker hands are ranked. In addition to this helpful content, online poker sites allow players to enjoy the game from practically anywhere, without needing to gather their friends in the same room. Instead, players can simply take out their computer, smartphone, or tablet and be playing Texas Hold ’em or five-card draw in just a matter of minutes.
In more recent years, online poker sites have begun to offer ‘home games’ that allow players to create their own private clubs, set their own rules, and invite their friends to play together. These home games usually provide chat functionality to recreate the experience of old-school poker nights but with the convenience of playing online.
Minecraft
Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time and it continues to grow in popularity 12 years after it was first released. It’s available on practically every device you can imagine, including consoles, computers, smartphones, and tablets.
The game allows you almost infinite freedom to create anything you want. You don’t start out with unlimited resources, though; instead, you’re tasked with foraging and mining for materials.
You can, of course, play online on your own or with strangers, but it’s a great way to bond with your friends too. Setting up your own server, you can work together to build something, sharing in the pride of what you achieve when you finish. It also doesn’t have to be a one-time thing; you can spend weeks, months, or even years building your world together.
Call of Duty
Call of Duty remains one of the most popular first-person shooters on the market, two decades after the first instalment of the game went on sale. Right from the get-go, the CoD series has placed a lot of emphasis on multiplayer functionality and Activision has only increased the quantity and quality of these online modes over the years.
Today, Call of Duty remains a great game for spending time with your friends as it contains both modes to play with them and modes where you play against them. So, depending on your mood and preferences, you can bond through teamwork or the friendly banter that comes from trying to take each other out with various digital weapons.
Whichever modes you choose, Call of Duty has voice chat functionality so you can communicate with your buddies, either to co-ordinate your manoeuvres or to taunt them... in a friendly way, of course.
COMMENTS