The average Friday night out comes with a predictable checklist: overstimulation from digi flashes, crowded rooms and a few too many overpriced drinks rendering you dizzy. As of last semester for my friends and I, however, the best nights look nothing like that. They look like eight of us sitting around a Texas Hold ‘Em table laughing about whether to raise, check or fold. Game nights with friends foster connection in a less expensive and more present environment than the party or digital scene.
“It’s a way of creating and affirming secondary, non-primary relationships,” said assistant communication professor Joe Cutbirth. “Build friendships outside our families, find new friends that either affirm our values or let us think about ourselves in new ways. I think that’s a really beneficial aspect to game nights.”
Game nights create different interactions that more passive ways of hanging out don’t. When you’re playing a game, you’re forced to read others’ reactions and strategies. The choices people make, like being risky versus safe, reveal a lot about their personalities, allowing people to bond and build a real connection.
The strategy aspect of game nights requires participation, forcing people to be present. Instead of checking phones or trying to keep up appearances, the focus is on the game and how others play, providing a break from the constant stimulation of the digital space and party scene that makes it easy to feel disconnected or alone.
“It’s definitely been a new way to hang out with my friends (and) to just do something at the house if we don’t really want to go out or spend money outside. It’s a pretty easy way for us to just hang out at someone’s apartment,” said finance freshman Armaan Malkani. “Also it’s a way to make new friends. Like, I’ve gone with (my friend) and he’s taken me to some of his friends’ poker games, so I’ve met a bunch of new friends through that. So, I think it’s been a pretty good way to just have a chill night, but also meet some new people.”
For a lot of students, money is a huge factor that may determine how they spend free time. On nights out, costs add up quickly, and not every student can afford the food, drinks and Ubers every week. Games with friends allow you to control the cost of your night. This flexibility makes socializing more accessible for students while managing a tight budget.
Card games can raise concern about recklessness and gambling. However, there’s a huge difference between at-home games with friends and a casino night in Vegas. In a controlled environment with friends just having fun, it’s not about the money — it’s about enjoying time together.
“When people say gambling, they normally have a negative tone towards it,” Malkani said. “I guess in a way it is gambling, but it’s all for fun, and normally we keep it low stakes, and everyone is enjoying themselves even when they lose.”
When I was introduced to poker nights, I started out observing, more focused on learning the game and being with my friends. Though I lost the first time I played, it didn’t even matter to me because at the end of the night, we all had a great time bonding.
- Not every good weekend night needs to be loud, expensive or worth posting about. Sometimes, the best nights involve putting your phone down and being present with your friends, even if you’re dealt a seven-deuce offsuit.
Cintron is a journalism sophomore from Houston, Texas.
