Imagine this: it’s a rainy night in North Vancouver (as per usual), your family is inside, and frankly you’re all bored. Instead of declaring “game over” for the night, say “game on!” What better way to bond with your family (and cure everyone’s boredom!) than with a family-friendly game that you can all play together? You can always bring out the classics — Battleship, Jenga, Monopoly, and Scrabble come to mind — but there are also tons of fun, new games to discover, especially ones that have been recently popularized on famous talk shows and YouTube videos. (In other words, Dad might have heard of them and your kids probably already know how to play them). Showcase and Walmart challenge your family to step up their game with their everyday this & that for family game night!
LAUGH & LOSE
Have you seen any of the epic dad joke battles on YouTube, including ones with celebrities like Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell facing off to see who can keep a straight face? Now there is a card game version, so you can declare the official King/Queen of Dad Jokes in your family. Dad, it’s your inner-comedian’s time to shine: compete in the ultimate dad joke showdown by making the opposing team laugh with some BAD jokes (we think they're funny). The catch?! You've gotta keep a straight face when making your opponent laugh, which is pretty much impossible once laugh attacks arise. Available exclusively at Showcase. See in-store for details.
EGGED ON
Take a crack at the Egged On game! This game is a twist on the Egg Russian Roulette challenge famously played by Jimmy Fallon and Anna Kendrick. The rules are simple: players take turns picking plastic eggs and pressing them on their heads. Some of the eggs are filled with water, and players never know which type of egg they’ve got in their hand. Players either pick the right egg or get wet, and those who get splashed are out of the game (and the "yolk" is on them). The last player left in the game wins! Available at Walmart. See in-store for details.
EXPLODING KITTENS
Exploding Kittens is a card game for people who love kittens, explosions, laser beams, goats, or, you know, all the above. Players draw cards until someone draws an exploding kitten (literally) that blows them out of the game — unless that player has a defuse card, of course! All the other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate, or avoid the exploding kittens. Fun fact: Exploding Kittens is the most-backed crowdfunded game in the history of Kickstarter. Available at Showcase. See in-store for details.
SPEAK OUT
What did you just say?! Bring the family together for LOL-worthy fun with this mouthpiece challenge game! Players try to say different phrases — like “what a bummer, brother” or “this playroom is a positive pigsty!” — while wearing a mouthpiece that won't let them say the words properly. Then players must (hilariously) decipher what their teammate is saying. Watch Ellen DeGeneres play Speak Out with Kerry Washington to see the game in action. Available at Walmart. See in-store for details.
GAME OF LIFE: TRIPADVISOR EDITION
The Game of Life is a bona fide classic — it’s hard to believe that it’s almost 60 years old! It’s time for the game to have a mini-makeover, so why not add a vacation-themed flair via a collab with TripAdvisor? Players make exciting choices as they move through the twists and turns of vacation life, such as going on a cool safari or getting your flight cancelled at the last minute. Once everyone reaches the end of the game (or retirement), everyone adds up their wealth and the player with the most money at the end of the game wins! Available at Walmart. See in-store for details.
Get your game face on, fam! No cheating 😉
~ Clay
