The best party games to play on Zoom amid COVID-19

Yahoo Finance's Brian Sozzi, Alexis Christoforous, and Dan Howley what video games people are playing on Zoom to keep busy during COVID-19.

Video Transcript

BRIAN SOZZI: --party.

DAN HOWLEY: Yes, so there's a bunch different ways that you can kind of use video game platforms and Zoom in tandem. My wife basically came-- I keep mentioning my wife today, by the way. She came up with a kind of a way that we could play games with our friends using Jackbox Games on our PlayStation.

We were able to kind of get Zoom involved, and we could all play at the same time. And the only thing you had to take into account is when you're playing Jackbox Games, there's like a little bit of a timer in there, so there's a slight lag. So you've just got to take into account maybe a second or two off that timer when you're playing different games. It's a really fun way to kind of get together, and it really does feel like you're actually with everyone.

And there's a bunch of other different types of party games you can use with Zoom. We're talking about Cards Against Humanity is something that you can use. There's free versions of that online that you can connect via your phone and then chat on something like Zoom. And then if you're playing regular games, you can also kind of use that to project to other people and share your screen while you're gaming.

So it's a fun way to get together, and it's just a way to kind of still feel like you're with people without having them in the same room, unfortunately. But it does feel kind of like you're back together.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Yeah, I mean, I witness it all the time. My kids are doing it. They're sort of keeping their community, you know, by playing these games together. They're keeping some camaraderie going. I hear them in the background, and they're having fun, so I'm happy.

But I actually think we need to see your wife at some point because you keep referencing her. But we don't see her. So some of us are wondering, is she really there, Dan?

DAN HOWLEY: She's not. No, I'm just kidding. She's here. She's working much harder than I do, which is the norm. Usually she's working, and then I'll take some time and go play some video games downstairs. Don't tell anyone else that. It's just between us two.

BRIAN SOZZI: We have millions of people watching us, Dan. You just told the world. Good going.

DAN HOWLEY: That's OK. That's OK.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: But Dan, that's part of your job, right? Is to play these games and to tell us about them. But talk to me seriously for a moment here about the experience on Zoom. I mean, does-- does a Microsoft or a Sony, you know, need to look out now because Zoom somehow is competition here?

DAN HOWLEY: I think it really just kind of augments the experience for playing on, you know, a Sony PlayStation or Xbox. And, you know, when it comes to those platforms, it's not really that tenable to be able to use Zoom for them. You would use it for something like a PC game and share your screen. That would be something that would work.

But when it comes to, you know, games that are, I would say, something like a "Fortnite" or, you know, the popular games that require really fast reflexes, that's not going to work as well via Zoom. You would need to just be in those games with your friends. And, you know, while you might not be able to see each other necessarily, I myself play "Call of Duty" with my friends, you know, every night, every other night of the week for about an hour or two. And we just jump on, and we talk to each other on the chat app, Discord.

And, you know, it feels like you're still with someone. So it really is a good way to stay in touch and to stay social. And, you know, they're all in Jersey or elsewhere, Virginia, places like that. And it still feels like I'm able to, you know, hang out with them more or less every day just by playing games with them. So I think that's something that really has come out of this that a lot of people may not have expected, was the social aspect of gaming to be so important.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: Yeah, I--

BRIAN SOZZI: We--

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: --we did a-- sorry, Brian. We did like a trivia game using Kahoot, and it was a lot of fun. We sort of did-- you know, we were sort of like, ah, I don't know. Is this really going to work? But it does. And I-- and I also think just the yearning to be social again is a huge component. At least it is-- you know, it's a driving force for me in playing a game like that.

DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, and, you know, you get a couple of glasses of wine in you, it doesn't matter that it's a screen. You're just still talking to your friends, so it's great.

BRIAN SOZZI: Dan, this is a PG-13 show. But what game lends itself best for playing on Zoom? Because I'm thinking right now, I would love to roast my brother in Monopoly board game. I know he's watching. He's always watching the show each morning. But does that game lend itself to play well on Zoom?

DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, something like that would be great. Anything that you can really share your screen with and isn't too resource intensive. You know, I'm talking about like the AAA games that are out right now. Those really wouldn't work. But something that's more of like a slow-paced board game. You could do virtual poker. That's something my friends and I are going to be looking into.

You know, like I said, Cards Against Humanity a great, great option just because you don't even need to have your screen shared. You all play on your smartphone, and then you just are all talking on Zoom and laughing at the answers. So it's really-- I think that is probably one of the best examples of being able to play games with your friends on Zoom. You do not want little ones playing with you when you play that, though.

BRIAN SOZZI: All right, Dan Howley, get out of here. Go play some video games.

DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, no, no problem.

BRIAN SOZZI: Good. I'll talk to you soon.