With the holidays coming up, gamers are sharpening their skills to assert dominance over family members with a similar affinity for the medium. What about those who aren't as avid, though? Fans want everyone to bask in the glory of gaming, even if they have no talent or have never touched a controller before.
To that effect, the following list will point out ten perfect holiday games to share with the whole family. These range from traditional titles to ones with different formats, sometimes eschewing controllers altogether. The majority of these are family-friendly, but a few should be left until after dark when all the kids are asleep.
10 Just Dance
The name says it all. The only thing players have to do is dance, an activity as instinctual as breathing, at least for some. Even if your moves are lackluster, the dance floor is a judgment-free zone. It's not about having the best moves. Just let yourself go to any of the songs on the soundtrack, following the steps as best as possible.
Music lovers and gamers alike can appreciate Just Dance. One doesn't need any prior gaming experience to understand how the gameplay works. Depending on the console and edition, people can join in without ever touching a controller. Cameras or motion sensors do all the work, or the player can use a phone app.
9 Gang Beasts
The beauty of Gang Beasts is few people truly know how to play it. The controls are incredibly simple, but mastering these mechanics takes skill. At the same time, one can get just as far in a round by smashing a few buttons and running away from the one adept rival.
When a family is playing together, joyful chaos ensues as people grab onto each other and throw everyone off of buildings, moving trucks, or onto train tracks.
8 Rock Band 4
If any family member has been keeping up with the releases since the premiere entry in 2007 and has bought a healthy dose of DLC, then Rock Band 4 has songs for everybody in the family, regardless of musical tastes.
Everybody can play at their own difficulty, so a newcomer on guitar won't distract the virtual rock god banging it out on the skins. Even without instruments, a single microphone can serve as a karaoke machine. Some decry the rhythm genre as obsolete, but plenty of holiday parties will get a lot of mileage from Harmonix's classic franchise.
7 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The beauty of Mario Kart 8 is how much luck plays into victory, much to the chagrin of some players. A driver in the last place can get to the front of the pack with a single blue shell.
Those who bemoan this type of game can always spend their time with the more skill-based Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled. While the Bandicoot's drifting mechanics are engaging, it does add a barrier to entry most newcomers to the medium cannot easily surpass. Mario Kart, on the other hand, is more accessible.
6 Towerfall: Ascension
Towerfall is the failed Ouya's lasting legacy. After the console's lackluster launch, the popular game saw its way to other platforms, ensuring as many as possible could enjoy the hectic archery arenas. The controls are super simple, with shooting and maneuvering two of the only actions one has to worry about.
Players have a limited amount of arrows but can pick up ones that have already been fired. Rounds also finish quickly, meaning controllers can be passed around fast, ensuring no one sits out for too long.
5 Man of Medan
This one is scary, so wait until the kids are asleep before booting up Man of Medan. Supermassive Games' narrative-driven game design is perfect for small parties. People took it upon themselves to pass the controller around during Until Dawn, so the developer added a couch multiplayer mode into their next title.
Don't think the scares will be any less intense when with a group of people, however. If anything, having a character's fate rest on one person's hands adds additional pressure to not let the group down.
4 Doom
This influential first-person shooter may be dated and have similarly aged visuals, but its simplicity is what makes it so appropriate for parties. Anybody with the slightest know-how in games can easily pick up Doom's controls.
All one really needs to know is how to shoot and move. It doesn't even have vertical aiming. On modern consoles, groups of four can either play deathmatch or tackle the campaign cooperatively. The first title has a great difficulty curve, too, only ratcheting up the difficulty once everyone gets the hang of things.
3 Super Mario Party
The Mario Party series has nearly always received nearly unanimous jeers from critics. Super Mario Party broke this trend, however, proving mindless party games can also get some love from those who more closely scrutinize the medium.
The board game set up and mini-games are a blast, and each tutorial clearly explains the controls, ensuring no one gets left behind unfairly. The cutesy aesthetic is also a huge draw for younger family members. After all, who doesn't love Mario and all his pals inhabiting the Mushroom Kingdom?
2 The Jackbox Party Pack
Jackbox Games rose from the ashes of Jellyvision Games, who gained notoriety for their popular You Don't Know Jack series. Their output evolved from this addictive trivia game to an annual compilation called The Jackbox Party Pack.
Each iteration comes with several minigames, some of which are extensions of old classics from previous entries. Most games support more than four players as well, so it's perfect for keeping larger crowds engaged, eschewing the wait times typical for video games at parties.
1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. is easy to learn, but difficult to master. It's not about memorizing long strings of combos, but instead swiftly maneuvering and getting in a few good smacks to send the opponent flying out of bounds.
The gigantic cast, colorful art, and divine music keep everyone engaged, including onlookers opting to sit out. There's a good reason this series has lasted close to twenty years, it is fighting game perfection and accessible to nearly everyone.