I bet you didn’t know that the gaming industry generates more revenue globally per annum than Hollywood. Playing games – and sharing the experience with friends, has grown to become one of the more popular ways we choose to entertain ourselves whether in the company of friends or not.

You only need to consider the blossoming popularity of online platforms like Twitch, an online platform featuring a gaming video steam that allows gamers around the world to share and connect with their contemporaries 24/7 for evidence that gaming has evolved to become a social activity.

The Name Game, and comparable TV party games, take the concept of interactive, social gaming to the next level. Gathering a group of friends together in your living room, this frantic guessing game is elegant in its simplicity, yet frighteningly addictive. Players knowledge of celebrities, sports stars and historical figures are tested – with belly aching laughter assured!

So, if you’re intent on getting the party started and have settled on playing a few online games, including The Name Game, after the cake and coffee has settled, here are a few of the Roku titles that you shouldn’t neglect to consider.

Minesweeper

Business Insider called Minesweeper ‘an iconic part of the Microsoft operating system’ which gives you some indication of the impact the game had on computing.

Need further evidence that this game was as impactful as it is addictive? Offices around the world turned to uninstalling Minesweeper on employee’s computers. Those employed to work seemed powerless to resist the lure of Minesweeper.

For anyone that’s somehow unfamiliar with Minesweeper, the goal is to clear a minefield grid without detonating the randomly placed mines. Roku has installed Minesweeper on its device, meaning some good, old fashioned 90’s nostalgia is just a few clicks away.

Mazes

One of those TV party games that seemed to have been designed to test the patience of players, Mazes is another throwback to a bygone era of simple, yet addictive gaming.

The game generates random mazes and challenges players to find their way out in the shortest number of moves. Players will never get cocky, memorising a handful of mazes as no two are the same.

With six difficulty levels and the option of choosing the ‘limited view’, there is also a distinct challenge that can leave even the most experienced of players scratching their heads. A challenging game that’s great to play with friends, Mazes is the ideal game for anyone with a strong competitive spirit – and is certain to bring wild gesticulations and playful ribbing when with friends.

Tetris

At this point, who hasn’t played Tetris! Children of the 80’s grew up with the game, spending hours with a Gameboy in hand, choreography falling blocks, so they slotted effortlessly into lines at the bottom of the screen.

As addictive and fun as The Name Game, it comes as little surprise that Tetris has sold a whopping 500 million copies worldwide and spawned countless duplicate copies across a wealth of platforms – including Roku!

Bring your friends together and fire up Tetris and get some healthy after-dinner game playing competition going!

Pac-Man

One of the most iconic digital games of all time, Pac-Man first emerged as an arcade game, built by Namco, in 1980 and it’s been gobbling up the competition ever since. Today, Pac-Man is one of the most popular TV party games in the world, thanks to Roku.

What makes Roku’s version so popular is the introduction of new gameplay features. There are larger scrolling mazes, unique dot patterns and longer ghost-gobbling combos that will surely see player’s smile from ear to ear.

Not only that, the developer has overhauled the graphics, bringing Pac-Man into the twenty-first century and making it one of the most popular TV party games for people of all ages to play.

There you have it, four games that are certain to have guests eagerly gathered around the television whatever their ages! If you’re yet to join the party and fancy trying your hand at one of the most addictive The Name Game, visit thenamegame.tv and see the fun that you’ve been missing!