Good habits for good evenings

Online games with friends are one of the best ways to keep a friendship going across distance and busy weeks. Like anything enjoyable, they work best with a few habits around them. This page collects the ones that help.

Keep the evening an evening

• Agree an end time before you start. “Two more rounds” is a promise everyone breaks; “we finish at eleven” is one people keep.
• Use the built-in tools. PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam and both phone platforms let you set daily play time and spending limits. They are easier to set on a calm Sunday than to invent at midnight.
• Take the break the game will not give you. Many online games have no natural pause. Stand up between rounds; your back and your eyes will thank you.

Money

• No game on this site requires spending to play with friends. Every check tells you what, if anything, is worth buying.
• Set a spending limit in your platform account and treat it as the ceiling.
• Be wary of anything that uses a countdown to rush a purchase. A good offer is still good tomorrow.

People

• Keep lobbies private or friends-only when you can; every check says whether that is possible.
• Learn where the mute, block and report buttons are before you need them.
• If someone in the group is having a hard time, the game can wait.

If play stops feeling good

If you find you cannot stop when you mean to, or games are pushing out sleep, work or people, it is worth talking to someone. Your GP is a good first step. The NHS has a page on mental health support, and Mind offers information and a support line. If you are worried about a young person’s play, Internet Matters has clear, practical guides for parents.