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Videochat: It doesn't have to feel like work
Photo: Marko Geber / Getty Images
Easter 2020, Christmas, New Year's Eve: During the corona crisis, most people have already experienced what it is like to do without cherished meetings and traditions on public holidays.
The upcoming Easter days are likely to be spoiled for many by the pandemic and contact restrictions.
As is so often the case in the Corona period, the only thing left is the search for alternative solutions such as group calls or video chats in large groups.
At SPIEGEL.de we have given many tips for such digital get-togethers over the past few months.
Here is an overview suitable for Easter.
How to find the right software
How big is the video chat round?
Do the prospective attendees have all computers or just smartphones?
Are there people who object to creating an account for the call somewhere?
Which software is the right one also depends on such questions.
For Christmas we worked out the advantages and disadvantages of the Jitsi, Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, Signal and Threema services.
You can find our comparison of the programs here.
Incidentally, since most people have larger television than computer screens, it is often worthwhile to transfer the laptop image to the television at home.
This is usually very easy with an HDMI cable.
A suitable adapter is only required for MacBooks.
It is also possible to bring what is shown on the display to a television using smartphones and tablets, as "PC Magazin" explains here.
This makes your chat visually more interesting
Some people may have tried all the interesting motifs by now.
Custom background
images for chat programs like Zoom and Skype are still a good way to make video chats feel less like work.
If the Easter holiday is canceled, you can at least fade in a nice photo of Easter Island behind you.
So you don't have to tidy up at home.
We collected a few ideas in May on where to get high-resolution wallpapers.
You can find out how to activate such backgrounds from the colleagues at »Heise« and »Chip«, here for Skype, here for Zoom and here for teams.
So there is no boredom
If you haven't seen each other for a long time, there is usually a lot to talk about, from health issues to the global political situation.
But many a video call ends faster than would be the case with face-to-face conversations.
In situations like this, it can help to have some common activity up your sleeve.
Children are also often happy if, for example, a family call is not all about chatting.
It can be a nice idea to
look at photos together
.
The easiest way to do this is to use a program such as Zoom, Skype or Teams for the call, because it allows you to share your own screen content.
If someone activates this function, all other chat participants can see the corresponding computer screen.
Older photos in particular - your own or those that you had previously sent to you by the other participants - are often good for laughs.
Also
singing together
in the video chat can be great fun, lyrics can be so easily googled.
The technology and any delays in the transmission make it more difficult for everyone to hit the same notes at the same time.
But some people do this very well.
The world of online services also offers interesting starting points.
Anyone who calls up an offer such as Google Street View with the screen sharing function activated can take others on
virtual trips around the world
- for example to previous holiday destinations.
Online games like "Geoguessr", which can be played in a team via the split screen, are also great fun.
Here you have to guess where in the world a shown place is.
The "Free Version" of Geoguessr can be played for free and without having to log in to the browser.
A quiz can also be played well via video chat.
For example, one or more participants in the call could design
a kind of Easter pub quiz in
advance
, in which the answers to the questions are either shouted out loud in the chat (then the fastest answer wins) or they are given to the questioner in the form of a Sends a private message.
Alternatively, you can of course also use
quiz apps
that can be used in parallel to a computer chat on the smartphone.
Five people can compete against each other in the game "Quiz with Friends", which can be used free of charge via a browser or as an iOS or Android app.
Joint puzzles
, for example about mysterious incidents and crime stories
, also work very well via video transmission
.
One idea to get started is the dark puzzle series »Black Stories«.
Four trial puzzles can be downloaded for free from their website.
If you usually give yourself presents at Easter, it can also be
fun
to start
an
elf
campaign.
Everyone gets something for another person, and the Easter gifts are opened together in the live video.
This turns your call into a game of play
Speaking of quizzes: From a certain point on, you can of course completely turn your video call into a game of games.
It helps that many popular card and board games are now available as apps or websites.
For example, you can play »Codenames«, the »Game of the Year« 2016, with friends online via a website for the game - without having to register and directly in your browser.
If you click on the German flag, the game is also available in German.
“City, Country, River” can also be played online without any complications, albeit with a bit intrusive advertising.
(More recommendations for digital board games can be found here.)
And another nerd tip from the net world cosmos
Finally, a recommendation from the Netzwelt department: A successful mix of quiz and creative games are the
party games from Jackbox Games
, which we presented under the heading "How to find out who your funniest friends are".
These games, which are sold in bundles of 20 to 25 euros, can be bought through a service such as Steam or the Epic Games Store.
The owner can then start it and use the screen sharing function to transfer the game screen to the others, who can then play for free.
The best way to do this is to use their smartphones.
Ideally, everyone involved has both a computer (for the shared picture) and a mobile phone at hand (depending on the game, for typing in answers or for painting on the display).
A big disadvantage of the jackbox games is that they require a reasonably good knowledge of English.
Only one mini-game called "Quiplash 2 InterLASHional" is available in German for around eight euros and is about finding particularly funny answers.
At least you can use an editor to create your own tasks.
