20 SECOND SHOWDOWN

Doing tasks to win points, prizes, or pride, is the staple of a party game, and 20 Second Showdown is one of the wilder, more friendship testing versions of this. Players break up into two teams, with a single judge (leading to the 5-20 player range) who is the taskmaster, and most importantly, the sand-timer-keeper.

The judge sets up the sand time so there is an equal amount of sand in each side, then flips it. The goal for each team is to complete their tasks quickest, so the timer can be flipped over to emptying their opponent’s side, and filling their own. It’s sort of the ‘take that’ of sand timers. This jolly tug of war is a conflict fought on the battle of absolute silliness. Can you pronounce every one of your teammates’ names wrong? (Probably, but it’s very funny and hard to do quickly). Can you wheelbarrow someone through the nearest door? (also likely, if everyone is game, and probably with only minor injury). Or even, can you hug the closest fern? (Certainly, although when this is in someone’s upstairs bathroom, clattering through the house to win this one can feel like a true risk to friendships).

And with all that, it’s a little bit transgressive. The host (of the venue, not the game) needs to be a good natured sort to allow this to carry on. But if they don’t mind people rummaging through the ‘stuff’ draw in the kitchen to find something to draw on a tattoo on themselves with, then it’s a perfectly competitive kind of silliness. And this sense of competition keeps people engaged, unlike other challenge games that tend to peter out after a certain point. Organised chaos has rarely been so much fun.