When I host game nights, I want everyone to be comfortable and relaxed. Game nights tend to be long nights of fun, involving playing games with friends and lots of laughter. Therefore, I want my guests to be as comfortable as possible! Over the years, I have created my own game night attire that I recommend to my guests and readers like you. I always want my guests to be comfortable or show off their geeky side by wearing a game night outfit.
However, there are times when I host game nights for people I barely know and want to get to know better. Therefore, for these types of game nights, I tend to dress casual and appealing because I know there may be times when the attention might be on me.
For example, if we are playing charades and I have to go up in front of the room to act out a “monkey,” yes I’ll probably look silly, but at least I’ll be dressed presentable.
If you plan on having a relaxed game night with longtime friends, then you should wear to game night whatever you are comfortable in! This could be sweatpants, hoodies, leggings, t-shirts, and jeans. Unless the host says differently, then dress however you feel comfortable. If you are having a game night with fresh faces, then you may want to put some thought into how you dress so you can make a great impression.
After all, I fully believe that game nights = sweatpants. If I am with friends and we plan on having a long night playing board games, then you are sure I’ll be showing up in some sweatpants and a hoodie.
Don’t get me wrong though, if you are having a game night with new people, then this is a different story. In this case, you might want to dress to impress as you want to make the best first impression possible.
Most game nights scream “keep it casual,” so no need to show up in a suit or dress. Unless you want people to look at you weird. Trust me, it’s happened before.
Casual Game Nights
Let’s make this clear. I am definitely NOT a fashionista. This isn’t a fashion blog. But I do know when to dress nice and when to dress down. For me, game night is always a casual time with friends. I make that pretty known when I walk through the door with my old college sweatpants on.
I usually get a text from my buddy with one line saying “dress comfortably?” and I simply reply “of course!” This is his way of asking if it will be a chill game night. 9 out of the 10 times it usually is.
Unless we plan on going out before or after playing games, I never feel the need to “look nice.” If we do plan on going out, then I’ll usually just throw on a pair of jeans. You can never go wrong with jeans.
Board Game Night Outfits
As a nerd myself, I love attending and hosting game nights in my board game apparel so that I can show them off to my friends. My friends get a kick out of the new shirts I find on the web and wear to game night.
Here are some great game night outfits and accessories I found that will be sure to show off your love for the board game hobby.
Here is a cool ‘I Love Game Night’ shirt with a meeple in replace of the heart. Click here to get your own game night shirt from teespring!
Here is another one of my favorite game night outfits that states ‘Keep Calm and Play Board Games.’ Click here to get your own version of this shirt!
As I find more, I will be sure to update this article with my favorite game night attire.
There are so many other board game shirts and board game night outfits that are perfect to wear to game. night that you can find right on Amazon.
Click here to see some game night outfits that would be great to wear to your next game night.
Games Night with New People
If you haven’t read my other articles, I like to go over the fact that game nights can be great ice breakers when meeting new people. They can really let out the silly side of someone you just met and be fun for everyone!
So if you are having a game night with new people, then I would definitely ditch the sweatpants. The reason being is that game nights give players the opportunity to stand out in front of the room, so it’s not a bad idea to put some thought into what you wear.
Dress in style like you are going to a party, but this type of party involves playing lots of games. You don’t want to dress so nice where you can barely move and you feel tense. Keep in mind, you might have to move around a lot depending on what time of game you are playing.
Themed Game Night Attire
If you haven’t noticed already, I am a huge game night fanatic. Like come on, I am seriously writing an article about game night attire. I take these things seriously. I’m only kidding. But I know some people have these questions in mind, so why not write about it!
With that being said, I like to have a lot of themed game nights. Sometimes, regular old game nights can be pretty boring if you have them often.
During the holidays, I like to have a Christmas themed game night where I make everyone wear ugly Christmas sweaters. Boom. There’s your game night attire for that specific game night.
You can even have a Halloween game night where your friends can dress up as board game characters or any other related costume to game night.
So what I am trying to say is, if you are having a themed game night where it would be really cool if your guests dressed along with the theme, then do it!
Check out some ideas on game night themes in another article. You might find some ideas where you can dress up based on a certain theme.
Conclusion
Don’t stress! Game nights are supposed to be relaxed nights with friends. But if you are trying to make new friends, then dress nice for the first few times, and then eventually you can break out the sweatpants.
When I have game nights with my really close friends, I make sure everyone comes dressed comfortably. It’s kinda like a rule of mine.
If I do have game nights that are based off a single theme, then I make sure everyone comes dressed a certain way so we can have the best fun possible with how we look.
If you have any other questions on what you should wear to game night or have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below. As always, happy gaming!