Celebrity Game Night Favorites — What We Actually Play
Here's something the tabloids never cover: celebrities play games. Not mind games (well, also those), but actual, physical, sit-around-a-table-and-argue-about-the-rules games. Game nights are a thing in Orange County social circles. A big thing. And the games we play say more about us than any Instagram post ever could.
I've been hosting and attending game nights for years. What started as a way to entertain friends without spending $300 on dinner has turned into one of my favorite social rituals. There's something about competitive card games and too much wine that strips away the pretense and reveals who people really are. I've learned more about my friends over Codenames than I ever learned over brunch.
Board Games That Always Come Out
Codenames. This is the game that starts every game night. Two teams, a grid of words, and a spymaster who gives one-word clues. Sounds simple. It is absolutely not simple. I once gave the clue "tropical, 3" trying to connect "palm," "island," and "coconut." My team guessed "palm," "beach" (wrong), and then accused me of being bad at word association. They were right. I'm terrible at Codenames and I'm obsessed with it anyway.
Settlers of Catan. This is the game that separates friendships from acquaintances. If you can negotiate a wheat-for-brick trade with someone and still be friends afterward, that relationship is solid. I played Catan at a dinner party in Laguna last year and the host's husband tried to monopolize all the sheep. His wife didn't speak to him for the rest of the evening. Not because he monopolized the sheep — because he refused to trade with her. Marriage dynamics: revealed through board games.
Ticket to Ride. The chill option. When the energy in the room needs to come down from Catan-level intensity, someone pulls out Ticket to Ride. It's about building train routes across a map. It's competitive but not confrontational. My kids can play it too, which makes it the rare game that works for mixed-age groups. My twelve-year-old consistently beats me. I've stopped pretending I'm letting her win because I'm not. She's just better at spatial planning than I am.
Card Games for When It Gets Late
Cards Against Humanity. I know. It's crude. It's inappropriate. It's the game that makes everyone laugh so hard they can't breathe. We play the "family edition" when kids are nearby and the original when they're not. I once won a round with a combination so horrifying that I can't print it here, but it involved a pope and a farm animal and I'm simultaneously ashamed and proud.
Exploding Kittens. My kids introduced me to this one and it's genuinely fun for adults too. Fast rounds, unpredictable, and the artwork is delightfully weird. Each game takes about fifteen minutes, which makes it perfect for the end of the night when attention spans are getting short and someone's partner is texting "when are you coming home?"
Uno. Classic for a reason. We have house rules that include stacking Draw Fours (controversial, I know) and a rule that if you play your second-to-last card without saying "Uno," you have to take a shot of whatever's open. This rule was implemented at a New Year's party and has since become non-negotiable at every game night. It's equally effective with tequila and sparkling cider.
Video Games: The Surprise Guest
This one might shock you: video games have become a legitimate part of adult game nights in the OC. Not Call of Duty or anything that requires a fifty-hour investment. Party games. The kind where everyone picks up a controller and you're laughing within thirty seconds.
Mario Kart. The great equalizer. I don't care if you're a CEO or a stay-at-home mom — everyone turns into a screaming, competitive, shell-throwing maniac during Mario Kart. I play as Princess Peach because I believe in representation and because she has the best acceleration stats. Don't argue with me about this. I've done the research.
Jackbox Party Packs. These are the ones where everyone plays on their phones and the prompts show up on the TV. Quiplash is our favorite — it's basically a joke-writing competition. The answers people come up with after two glasses of wine are either brilliant or deeply concerning. Sometimes both. My friend's husband once wrote something so funny during Quiplash that she took a photo of the screen and it's still her phone wallpaper.
Overcooked. A cooking simulation game where you and your friends try to run a kitchen together. It sounds relaxing. It is the most stressful gaming experience of my life. You're chopping, cooking, plating, and washing dishes while the kitchen is literally on fire and your teammate keeps dropping the lettuce. It's basically a RHOC dinner party in game form. I love it and I also need therapy after every session.
What surprised me about gaming culture is how much it's evolved from the stereotype of teenagers in basements. The people at my game nights are lawyers, entrepreneurs, full-time parents, and former reality TV stars. We're all sitting around a screen yelling about virtual cooking disasters. Gaming isn't a subculture anymore — it's just culture. And honestly? It's some of the most genuine fun I have with friends. No phones, no posing, no performing. Just pure, competitive, slightly intoxicated joy.
How to Host the Perfect Game Night
Keep the guest list to eight or fewer. More than that and you can't play anything that requires teams of reasonable size. Six is the sweet spot.
Food should be graze-able. Cheese board, chips and guac, mini sliders. Nothing that requires a fork because one hand is always holding cards. I order from Whole Foods the morning of and arrange it on a cutting board like I made it myself. This is not deception. This is efficiency.
Start with a warm-up game (Codenames, 20 minutes), move to the main event (Catan or a video game, 60-90 minutes), then wind down with quick rounds (Exploding Kittens or Uno, 15 minutes each). The whole evening is about three hours. People leave happy, slightly competitive, and already texting about the next one.
Drinks: wine, obviously. But I've started making a batch cocktail before guests arrive — usually a big pitcher of paloma or aperol spritz — so I'm not bartending all night. The person hosting should be playing, not pouring.
For more on my social life in OC, check the lifestyle section. And for the broader perspective on entertainment and how pop culture connects us, that's in the entertainment pillar.
