Board games for boredom

Erin Tsai, Staff Writer

Just because you can’t see your friends in person does not mean you can’t still hang out with them. Playing games online with your friends is a great way to let loose and have fun together. Here are some of the best games available online to help you maintain your friendships while having to physically distance from your friends.

skribbl.io

Skribbl.io is an online doodling game where you guess what your friends are drawing. To guess, all you have to do is type into the built- in chat. You’ll gain points based on how fast you can guess the prompt, and the person with the most points at the end of the rounds wins. It may be a simple doodling game, but it is bound to keep you and your friends entertained with its simplicity. You can use the default prompts, or make your own silly prompts to play with your friends.

Uno

Uno is often known as the card game that can make or break friendships. Not only is there the classic Uno you know and love, there are several other modes like “Go Wild,” which features more exciting action cards, or you can enter the in-app tournament that pits you against all Uno players worldwide. Whether you want to play competitively or casually, you are sure to enjoy this card game classic.

Taboo

This classic party game requires one player to help their team guess keywords without using the listed taboo words. There are many online versions of this game, and only one person needs to see the list of words at a time. Hop into a voice chat to listen to your friends struggle to succeed at this task.

Game Pigeon

Game Pigeon lets you play a variety of games with your friends through iMessage, from Word Search to the classic Cup Pong. Unfortunately, this app is only available on iOS, but it’s a fun way to stoke that competitive nature within your friend group.

Sky: Children of the Light

Although not as lively as the previous games, it deserves a spot on this list as a beautiful multiplayer mobile game. With its gorgeous graphics and beautiful music, you are sure to be charmed by the enchanting story. You can complete the storyline by helping ancestral spirits move on, or you can just explore the world and meet new friends online. Sky values exploration and teamwork, so don’t be afraid to gather your friends to adventure together as you discover its new worlds unbounded.

Codenames

Codenames is a game where two different teams try to guess different “codenames,” or words. First, separate into red and blue teams, and assign one person from each team to be the “spymaster” to give out clues to the “field operatives” who pick the codenames. 25 Codename cards are laid out, representing red agents, blue agents, innocent bystanders, and one assassin, and the spymaster receives a map of what each card is. A team wins when they discover all of their team’s agents, so the spymaster must be strategic when giving out clues. But, be careful: The team that picks the assassin card will lose the game, so pick your cards wisely.