With the world in a pandemic, staying at home and social distancing have become the new reality for many of us. But missing out on entertainment doesn’t have to be the case! Although virtual experiences are no service to the entertainment industry, with the right tools and creativity, staying home and keeping safe does not have to be boring. This article will take a look at how you can keep socially distant but still have lots of fun!
1. Enjoying the Show from Home – A Guide to Virtual Entertainment
After many months of social distancing, looking for new forms of entertainment is key. Although, physical group activities are not allowed, there are a wide range of virtual experiences that offer the same level of enjoyment. Here are some top tips for enjoying the show from home:
- Tap into Virtual Celebrations: While physical gatherings are not allowed, there is nothing like a virtual party. Log on to Zoom and show up with friends and family for a birthday, wedding, or holiday get-together. Have everyone dress up and dance just like you’d do at a real-life event.
- Turn up the Sound: Need some tunes? Discover new music on popular streaming sites. Best of all, you can create unique playlists and share them with your friends. Also, many musicians now host virtual concerts for people to join and enjoy.
- Go on an Adventure: Find some excitement and explore new places from the comfort of your own home. Virtual tours are now a reality! Choose from a variety of places and take in the views and sounds of exotic locations.
- Enjoy a Movie Night: Get cozy and turn the living room into a cinema. Invite friends over (virtually) and start streaming your favorite cinema classics. Everyone can watch and chat together, without leaving the safety of their homes.
The possibilities are limitless. Log on and enjoy some of the best entertainment available, without having to leave the safety of your home.
2. Creative Solutions for Social Distancing
1. Online Movie Nights – Go beyond streaming movies on streaming channels and actually join a host of people, anywhere in the world, for an online movie night. List a few movies and let participants vote. Draw up a list of instructions like what time the movie will start, what platform you’ll be using, what feature/chat tools will you be using. To make it feel more like a real movie theater you can even pop some popcorn at home and eat it while watching the movie!
2. Virtual Game Nights – Everything from word games, board games or card games can be played virtually. Choose from popular games like Werewolf, Cards Against Humanity, Catan, Scrabble and many more. You can even pick a game night theme. Take turns hosting the game night, with each person bringing something picked from the theme.
3. At-Home Cooking Challenges – Get creative and host an at-home cooking challenge. Everyone takes turns presenting their recipes, ingredients, cooking methods and showcasing their final culinary creations. It’s a great way to combine learning and exploring different cuisines with family and friends.
4. Virtual Tour – Book a virtual tour of places around the world. From Italy, to Japan, to the beaches of the Caribbean. Sign up with tour companies offering a diverse range of virtual tours. Get a guided tour of remote places, islands, forests, beaches, famous tourist attractions, museums and much more.
5. Virtual Concerts & Theater Performances – Find out which performances and concerts are happening soon. With many artists launching their performances virtually, there’s a lot to explore! Singers, comedians, dancers, theater troupes, art performers and many more will be launching virtual performances.
3. Making the Most of Virtual Experiences
As we adjust to living our lives under social distancing, there are plenty of ways to stay entertained while staying safe. Virtual experiences give us an easy way to entertain ourselves from the comfort of our own homes.
Start with What you Know: One great way to explore virtual experiences is to seek out those that are engaging and interactive. Things like live music streaming concerts, virtual museums, virtual film premieres, and even video game tournaments are all great ways to have fun without leaving your couch. Many organizations are finding creative ways of getting us involved in these experiences, so it’s worth spending some time researching options.
Take it to the Next Level: If you’re interested in something a bit more out of the ordinary, try experimenting with virtual reality experiences and immersive games. Travel virtually around the world to explore different cultures and gaining a better understanding of global affairs. There’s also the option of trying out escape rooms or online drama classes, enabling us to try out things we normally wouldn’t have time for.
Make Room in your Schedule: Virtual experiences don’t have to be boring, and with just a little bit of effort you can find something for the whole family to enjoy. From the comfort of your living room, you can:
- See plays and musicals on stage
- Workout with pro athletes
- Attend virtual happy hours with friends
- Tune in to virtual cooking classes
- And lots more!
Making virtual experiences a part of your routine can give you something to look forward to during this difficult time.
4. Finding Fun in Your Living Room
During times of social distancing, it is important to find joy and pleasure in activities you can do at home. Here are a few virtual experiences you can enjoy right from your living room:
- Watch a movie - Get everyone in the family settled in for a cozy evening with popcorn, candy, and a great movie. Get ready for some nostalgia-induced laughs with an old classic, or check out one of the newest streaming releases. Share your thoughts 🙂
- Host a virtual game night – Keep the competitive spirit alive with a game of Monopoly, Pictionary or any other game you prefer. Try all the newest digital gaming trends, or take a walk down memory lane and compete in one of your old favourites. Just don’t forget the trash talk 😉
- Learn a new language – Tap into your creative side and learn a new language. Choose one based on your interests and research available language programs. It’s a great way to brush up on a language you previously studied, or to learn a completely new one!
- Start an online book club - Get a group of friends together and start an online book club. You can create a shared reading list and agree on different virtual meet-ups to discuss the books. You can do some extra activities like special book-quizzes or performances.
Finding virtual experiences to keep you entertained can be a great way to connect during social distancing! Get creative and enjoy the time you spend at home - there is always something to do!
5. Activities to Bring People Together
Since current quarantine regulations still prevent us from engaging in physical entertainment activities, why not explore virtual experiences to bring people together? Here are 5 great virtual activities that are a total blast to do with your friends or family while social distancing:
- Virtual Escape Rooms: Get your friends together and work as a team to solve puzzles and complete missions! Escape rooms give you the thrill of an adventure without ever having to leave your home.
- Trivia Nights: Test your knowledge and compete against your family and friends! Virtual trivia nights can be personalized to any theme, and can be hosted on a range of different platforms such as Zoom or Houseparty.
- Cooking Classes: If you’re feeling creative, gather your friends and learn a new delicious recipe together! Looking for a challenge? Add a competitive twist such as a cooking war to see who can make the best dish.
- Karaoke: Let out your inner rock star and enjoy a karaoke night from the comfort of your own home! All you need is a good karaoke app and a microphone, and you’re all set.
- Online Games: Pick your favorite online game and invite your friends or family from around the world to join you for an exciting tournament!
From exciting escape rooms to the classic karaoke night, virtual activities are the perfect way to stay entertained and bring people together while staying safe. So next time you’re looking for something to do, why not give one of these virtual experiences a try?
6. Get Ready to Dance and Laugh Again
Once the lockdown lifts, getting back to special nights out with friends and family will still look a little bit different. But it’s still possible to have some fun together through virtual experiences:
- Create digital parties – Host a virtual dinner party over Zoom or a streaming karaoke session. Whatever creative way you can find to bond and have fun, go for it!
- Share your favorite stories – Put together content playlists so you can watch or listen together like never before.
- Organize online concert series – Contact your favorite artist or band and organize a special evening of performances.
Organizing an entertainment event doesn’t need to be daunting. All you need is some motivation and a bit of creativity to make it happen!
Let this be an opportunity to reconnect in a safe and exciting way. Plan ahead and see the endless opportunities for entertainment in social distancing. Think live concerts, comedy showcases, dance performances and more!
7. Live Music, Virtual Tours and More
Live Music, Virtual Tours and More
Social distancing has made it difficult for people to experience live music and specialized tours, but thankfully, there are new options that allow us to continue patronizing these activities.
- Online concerts, from single acts to large-scale events, are widely available, allowing us to listen to our favorite musicians in a safe and convenient manner.
- Virtual museum tours offer an in-depth experience, complete with interactive programs, 3D visuals, augmented reality, videos and audio recordings.
- Nearly all of the world’s greatest buildings and monuments have virtual tours available, making it possible to see them without leaving your front door.
- Botanical gardens, zoos and aquariums are providing interactive activities for remote guests, allowing us to observe animals in their natural habitats.
With all these tools and options, we can take part in a variety of entertainment opportunities, including some of the world’s most impressive sites and events.
8. Tap Into Technology for Relaxation and Reflection
We are living in an era that is virtually saturated by technology. If you want to relax or reflect, you can find technologies that can help you do it. Consider these virtual experiences:
- Online yoga and meditation classes. Take the time to examine your innermost thoughts and feelings with an online yoga or meditation class. There are many providers offering classes virtually, so it pays to research your options. Often, the classes are free or low cost.
- Virtual reality games. VR games are not only fun but also immersive and provide an opportunity to relax and reflect on your life. Load up your preferred platform and choose from a variety of experiences to explore, from relaxation to puzzle solving.
- Online nature walks. Take a break from the stress of the day and explore a variety of scenic locations online. Many nature preserve websites offer virtual tours and guided walks. It’s a great way to explore different areas of the world without the time and cost associated with traditional travel.
- Escape rooms. If you’re feeling stuck in your day-to-day life, an escape room can be a great virtual outlet. With a chance to explore and solve puzzles, you can step away from the stresses of the moment and relax.
With these options, there are plenty of ways to relax and reflect using technology. So take a break from the day and explore the virtual world for a chance to reset.
9. The Benefits of Socializing Virtually
The current pandemic has put a strain on social activities, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still socialize and stay entertained. With technology, many virtual experiences have emerged to make socializing even more engaging and enjoyable. Here are some benefits of virtual socialization.
- A greater pool of people to connect with. Technology allows people to interact with one another without leaving the comfort of their home. There are more people for you to engage with, even from different parts of the world.
- You can learn something new. Virtual experiences offer a variety of activities to join in, so you can learn something new while sharing with others, like art classes or music lessons.
- Create supportive online communities. Despite physical distances looming, you can still interact with people of similar interests and provide moral and emotional support, enabling people to form a community of shared values.
Whether with old or new friends, virtual social experiences allow you to talk, play, laugh, and bond over shared interests and experiences with people around the world.
10. A Cheat Sheet to Remote Entertainment
Stay entertained in the comfort of your homes!
While the government implement rules of social distancing, and you are practicing it to ensure the safety of yourself and others around you, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun. Here is a cheat sheet of remote entertainment options that will make sure you have a great time:
- Organize a virtual trivia night with friends – this one is sure to put your general knowledge to test! You can also create your own theme for a fun spin on the game.
- Host a movie night – There are several streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO with an extensive library of movies and documentaries.
- Watch live performances – artists such as John Legend, U2, and many more are holding free virtual concerts to entertain their fans in the midst of the pandemic.
- Organise an online conference call karaoke – for the music enthusiast – invite your friends over, pick out a few songs and have an entertaining time singing along with them.
- Connect with family and friends using Skype, Zoom, or Facetime – staying connected at a time like this is vital, what better way than to have a banter session with your loved ones?
- Involve in some online gaming with friends – If you have a PlayStation, Xbox or PC, you can join some of your friends in online gaming sessions.
- Stream game shows online to challenge yourself - If you are not a gamer, there are plenty of sites available to play game shows virtually with your friends. Brain friendly games like Scrabble and Monopoly are some classic choices.
There are plenty of virtual activities for you to do while staying safe from home. Get creative with it and have lots of fun!
In these unusual times, virtual experiences can become a great substitute for the fun that entertainment can bring us. There are a variety of options available that create meaningful connections, inspiring activities, and allow us to have fun, even while social distancing.