Meeting new flatmates at uni can feel intimidating. There’s no better way to break the ice on your first nights together than playing a few student drinking games and sharing outrageous anecdotes. Particularly if you end up having to quarantine together, these unique games are a staple part of the University experience.
1. Coin Flip
For this simple but hilarious game, you will need a large sheet of paper or cardboard (delve into the recycling), a pen and a coin. To start, everybody writes their name on the paper and draws a large bubble around it. You will then take it in turns to flip a coin onto the surface, if it lands on somebody’s name bubble they must drink. If it lands on an empty space you get to write a forfeit or rule where the coin landed. Perhaps players who land in the bubble must drink with their left hand or refer to each other in the third person? Keep flipping until the paper is fully covered in names, games, forfeits and rules.
2. Mario Kart
If one of your housemates has brought a Wii over to uni, playing Mario Kart is sure to be a staple when hanging out. By introducing an alcoholic twist, this childhood favourite can also make an excellent game for pre-drinks. Get into pairs and choose your race track (probably best to avoid rainbow road!). One player from each pair will play the race while the other drinks for their performance.
Each time the player falls off the track or is hit by (or crashes into) an obstacle their partner must take a sip. If the player collects a power-up, their partner delegates a sip to somebody else, unless they get a Bullet Bill, in which case they must down their drink. In the next game, the pair switches roles so the other person takes the wheel. As the game goes on, it will get harder and harder to keep a steady kart.
3. DIY Game
From doodling on Jenga blocks in coloured Sharpie to making a game of Snakes and Ladders on the back of an old cereal box, the most fun drinking games are always those with a creative, personalised twist. Embellish your favourite classic game with some truths and dares, never have I ever spaces, shot cards, and category naming or rhyme making minigame spaces to add some drinking and get to know weird and wonderful stories about your friends.
4. Picolo
I downloaded the free Picolo app on my first night of Uni to play with my new flatmates and it proved the perfect game for breaking the ice and having a few drinks. To play the ‘Getting Started’ game, simply type in the name (or funny nickname) of each player, and enjoy the forfeits dares and minigames it assigns to each person. From “name horror movies where the villain kills with a bladed weapon. If you repeat, or can’t think of one take a penalty”, to “address players using Mr. or Ms., take a penalty if you forget” this game provides an endless supply of silly activities for your next house party.
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