‘Tee KO’ shirt by StarElement via @GreenAura_ on Twitter
‘Jackbox Party Packs’ favourite games
By Sonam Kaloti, Arts Editor
Fun games to play with your friends are never overrated. Jackbox Games offers a multitude of video games, sold in Party Packs, that allow users to connect using their own devices and play together. Each pack is sold separately and includes at least five different games. Basically, you need one communal screen for the game to be displayed on, and each player joins the game on their phone through the Jackbox website.
A notable game mention, before I go on to list my favourites from each pack, is Quiplash. Quiplash is a competitive game where two people in the group are given the same prompt and try to answer it in the funniest way possible. The remaining audience members will then vote on whose answer was better. Luckily, Quiplash can be found in many of the packs! Now, onto the good stuff.
The Jackbox Party Pack 1: Fibbage
My favourite game in the first party pack makes a few comebacks in the later party packs as well. The premise of Fibbage is that you start off with a question prompt to which you, and everyone else playing, will fill in an answer that sounds like it could be real. Once done, everyone in your group sees all the players’ answers as well as the real answer, and the players select what they think is the real one. The trick is that the real answer is typically outrageous, so don’t go filling in typical answers.
The Jackbox Party Pack 2: Bidiots
Bidiots is a quirky, drawing-based game where each player auctions off a drawing they create right then on their phone. It’s competitive and provides an ego boost when your majestic art piece is bid on by many. The time crunch launches players into a creative speed burst, and the creations people come up with are hilarious—and often slightly disturbing.
The Jackbox Party Pack 3: Tee K.O.
I won’t lie—Party Pack 3 is my favourite. Tee K.O. is just one of the many super fun offerings in this pack. Another gem, Trivia Murder Party—an extremely disturbing trivia game hosted by a fictional serial killer—is a great introduction to Jackbox.
Tee K.O. is a multi-part game where first each player draws a few wacky T-shirt designs. Next, the game prompts players to insert as many random captions as they can within the time limit. After these two stages, each player will be given an assortment of drawings and captions created by others, where they will pair a caption with a drawing and then send it off to compete against other T-shirts.
A fun side note for Tee K.O. is that after the game is over, everyone has an option to buy the shirts that they created in the game to wear in real life.
The Jackbox Party Pack 4: Monster Seeking Monster
In this game, everyone in your group is given a role as a monster, each paired with a special ability (or downfall). The game acts as a dating app where the player can switch between chats with other players and send a maximum of three texts to anyone per night. At the end of the round, each player must pick a date. The player who gets the most points according to their monster role (which is eventually revealed) wins the game.
It is a great way to platonically flirt with some of your friends and see who has the smoothest pick-up lines—or it might just be extremely awkward! Luckily you can make your name whatever you want right before the game starts, if you’d like to hide your identity. Either way, it’s very fun.
The Jackbox Party Pack 5: Mad Verse City
In this game, each player goes head to head with another player in a rap battle. The creation of the rap is formatted sort of like a Mad Libs game where you first fill in a word prompt, then write a sentence to follow the previous fill-in-the-blank one. You don’t know who you’re going up against prior to the actual battle, so whoever you’re schooling, here’s hoping they have thick skin.
