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Even the hardest working students need to take some time away from the books occasionally. The whole college experience is made up of more than just lectures and seminars.
Socializing and making new friends is made a whole lot easier by going to parties and gatherings. And parties and new introductions are made even more fun by playing some games and activities!
It’s always a great idea to prepare for a party by making sure you’ve eaten properly. A good meal will make sure you can deal with any extra drinks on offer and party for longer
The following are 5 classic games ideal for novices and pros alike.
- Flip Cup
The game of flip cup is played by two teams of equal numbers. The only equipment you’re going to need are lots of cups and lots of beer. The game is essentially a chugging challenge with an added element of dexterity.
The two teams face each other across a table. The first two players have a cup filled with beer. They then have to chug it as quickly as possible. Once the drink is downed, they have to place the empty cup upside down on the edge of the table. The players then have to try to flip it to the right side up using only forefinger and thumb. Once one player has successfully ‘flipped’, the play continues down the line.
The team first to have a row of correctly flipped cups wins the game.
- Strip Poker
Parties are sure to be livened up by a game of strip poker. A great ‘ice-breaker’ for freshers, sophomores and seniors alike, the game takes the essentials of poker and raises the stakes.
In this case, the chips are represented by items of clothing. Games are played for clothes, not cash. Any variant of poker can be used for the game, but 5-card draw is the most common.
To begin with, players remove an agreed piece of clothing – a shoe is a popular choice – as an ante to be placed before the hands are dealt. The game then progresses along normal poker lines, but with articles of clothing being removed and used as bets.
The game can be modified however players see fit, with different articles of clothing worth different amounts. Whatever is decided, the game is a funny way to get to know friends a little more intimately!
- King’s Cup
Also known as ‘Ring of Fire’ and simply ‘King’s’, King’s Cup is an absolute classic of a drinking game.
The only equipment you will need is a pack of playing cards and a large cup or glass. A pint glass is ideal, but any large container like a jug or beaker is fine too.
First off, spread the cards around in a circle facing downwards. Each player then takes it in turns to pick a card. They then reveal their cards in turn. What the card means depends on the particular variant of the game you’re playing – as with all drinking games, there are no hard and fast rules!
The following is an example of what each card drawn could require players to do:
Ace: Everyone drinks
Two: The player chooses someone to drink
Three: The player drinks
Four: All females drink
Five: All males drink
Six: Everyone has to touch the floor, last person to do drinks.
Seven: Everyone has to point to the ceiling. Last one drinks.
Eight: The player must select a ‘drinking mate’ who has to drink whenever they do.
Nine: The player says a word. Players have to say something that rhymes with it. First one to mess up drinks.
Ten: The player picks a category such as ‘dogs’ or ‘car brands’ and players go round the table naming things in that category. First repetition or stumble drinks.
Jack: Players can make up any rule for the Jack card, the wilder the better!
Queen: Questions. The player asks an innocuous question, like “what time are lectures tomorrow?” Whoever answers has to drink.
King: A player drawing a king has to pour some drink into a glass and place it in the middle of the table. The player drawing the last king has to drink the lot!
- Jenga
Jenga is a great game to play at college whether you’re drinking or not. But a liberal application of some alcoholic beverage certainly never harmed the fun of the game of building blocks.
To play, you’ll need a Jenga set obviously, and some marker pens for writing instructions on the blocks. Pencil markings will also work if you want to erase the writing and play with different rules next time.
Write rules on each block. Something simple like ‘take two drinks’, or ‘everyone drinks’ is always fun, but the game could get even more interested with some extra creativity. Maybe an instruction to sing a song beginning with the letter ‘I’ could make all the difference.
Whoever causes the tower of blocks to fall must drink from the central pint glass that includes part of every player’s drink.
- Beer Pong
Beer pong is a legendary drinking game around colleges everywhere. It also takes a little more prep, as you’re going to need a ping pong table.
Once you have that, put six plastic cups at each end in a triangle similar to a pool or a bowling game formation. Fill each cup with beer.
Two teams stand on either end of the table. They take it in turns to attempt to toss a ping-pong ball to the other end aiming for a beer cup. A player could attempt to bounce it in off the table as well.
When a ball lands in a cup, an opposing player has to down it. The team that clears their opposing cups wins!
There are so many games to try out at college. A great thing about all of these games is that they can easily be modified to suit whoever’s playing. The main rule is to have fun and enjoy college life!
