With the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order still in place for another week, many students are trying to find things to keep themselves occupied. Jackbox games are a way to stay entertained and in touch during quarantine.

Anyone with a phone and an internet connection can play. Individual games start at $5. One can either buy individual games or purchase a party pack, containing multiple games. Game options range from trivia, to drawing, to murder mystery, to a Kahoot-style game called Quiplash. 

Once a game is purchased and selected, players go to jackbox.tv on their phones, tablets or laptops and enter the “room code,” which should pop up on the main screen being used for the game. Players are able to create their own username which can change during every game. From there, the “leader,” the first person to enter the room code and create a username, begins the game.

Once each game is begun, a voice recording explains the rules and objectives. Jackbox tries to make instructions as easy to follow as possible.

“We’ve worked hard to make sure you never need detailed instructions to get into a game and start having fun,” said Jackbox on their website.

Since each person is able to play on their own device, players do not need to be together to join a Jackbox game. Players can connect through any video call site, such as Zoom, Skype or Google Hangouts. The person beginning the game can use Jackbox’s screen sharing option so all players can see the main screen. From there, players enter the room code and username and can begin playing.

Players are also able to connect to Jackbox games through Steam, Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. 

For more directions on connecting and streaming from various devices, visit https://www.jackboxgames.com/how-to-play-jackbox-games-with-friends-and-family-remotely/.