I
absolutely love interactive DJs. And not just because I *am*
one, but Ive always felt that people go to parties to have a
good time. And a good time may or may not involve music or dancing.
Why not have activities that leave everyone with a smile?
Over the years Ive been a
pack rat of party games. My office shelf is stacked with printouts of
games from camp counselors to corporate team-builders. Ive got
drinking games, games from Nickelodeons Double Dare, raunchy
bar games and games invented by people who want you to buy their
expensive props. Many of them seemed either seemed too hokey or too complex.
So when I first saw The
Ultimate Book of DJ Games by Sid Vanderpool, I expected more of
the same. I mean how many games could there actually BE out there?
What I read was a terrific surprise page after page of
exciting all-ages games that actually looked like more fun than
trouble.
Yeah, trouble. Some party games
can be trouble. Theres nothing worse than trying to lay out a
game with all eyes on you that people cant
understand. The best games are easy to explain, play out in 3-5
minutes and are just as enjoyable for adults as for kids. And this
book is crammed with them!
In Vanderpools book, most
every game has a photo depicting what it should look like. Thats
a big help for those of us whove ever been the victim of
trying to translate obscure game directions into something the crowd
can understand. Every games page is headed with the name of the
event, where it should take place (outdoor, indoor, anywhere), items
needed, difficulty level, age group, how the scoring is done and
whether its a timed event. Having those items front and center
makes it easy to quickly scan the book for the perfect game when you
have a particular event/crowd in mind.
In a departure from most other
activities books, not every game here is about wearing a silly hat or
running with balloons. For instance, in the section called
Corporate Fun, there are activities that not only
entertain, but also promote people mingling and networking.
There are also several games to be used at banquets where you get
whole tables of people working together as teams.
Even some of the old standby
games get a fresh spin here with a new twist on the rules to make it
either easier or more fun to play. If you thought youve seen
every party game there is to see, youre going to love this book!
I admit I can be lazy in playing
just the games I know are surefire hits. Problem is they are probably
just as stale and boring to me as they are for some audiences.
The Ultimate Book of DJ Games is a great reference when
you need to pull something new out of your hat, especially when
youve been working with a particular client for a while. I got
the added benefit of it giving my imagination a real shot in the arm
(head?) allowing me to conceptualize my own original games.
But maybe the most exciting thing
is the step-by-step descriptions make it so easy to organize these
games, even if you dont label yourself as an interactive
DJ you can pull these crowd-pleasers off with ease. Your
mainstay gigs might be clubs or weddings, but with this book packed
in your gig bag you have a ready arsenal of fun activities for just
about every crowd.
I cant wait for the
Christmas party season to begin to unleash some of these beauties!
Purchase this book online at http://www.djzone.com/store |