Determined to justify the multitude of Olights in my collection to my longsuffering ‘why do you need so many torches?’ partner, I set out this summer to think up some games that I could play with my family as we all got together for our multi-generational, multi-household family holiday. Equally, some of these ideas would work with adults, perhaps a group of friends away on a road trip or get-together. What’s your favourite Olight based game? Let us know in the comments below!
Night walk
We’ve all become masters of the walk thanks to lockdowns, but how many night walks have you had? It’s a great time to hear wildlife come to life and enjoy the stars and moon phases on clear nights. A superb treat for urbanites holidaying in more remote places, the night sky is an awesome sight. A red filter or Olight with a red beam can help to protect night vision to better see the stars.
Olight indoor star gazing
Place your OBulb or OLantern mini under a large colander. Block up holes with blu tack to create your own Ursa Major, Plough or Casseopeia. This works well as consolidation after a night walk.
Olight tag
You need a big outdoor space (I played this on Filey beach with the kids) and lots of small, equally powered lights. Your collection of i3ts or i3es are perfect for this. Start the game with ‘everyone’s torch is on’ before moving to ‘stealth ninjas’ where the sneaky so-and-so just ignites to tag their prey. Torches of different power are a good way to add a handicap, the bigger kids or adults drawing the less powerful beams.
This also works well if you have lots or torches with clips (I found i3t’s perfect for this) and players who can be trusted to apply sensible levels of contact! The torch is clipped to the back of each players t-shirt or backwards cap and has to be snatched. Have a good test to ensure you aren’t in danger of bending any clips, this isn’t covered by warranty!
Cool the kids down after the game by sitting to listen to the night sounds around them.
Olight disco
Safety should be your first consideration here, but coming up with the best idea to create disco lights is almost as fun as the disco itself. Use your imagination to find as many moving objects as possible and covers to create a disco vibe. I’ve used, turntables, ceiling fans and my personal favourite of the kids’ rotating catch-a-fish game to create a solid disco atmosphere. A cover, such as a colander used in the indoor star gazing activity covered with a coloured scarf can also add some sparkle. Just make sure no high powered torches are covered! All that’s needed is a Bluetooth speaker and a cheesy Spotify playlist off you go. The magnetic bases of many Lights make this possible. Some well placed OBulbs can complement the moving lights well. Our DJ also used the M1t Raider plus on strobe (thankfully at intervals) to get the ravers ‘reaching for the lasers’.
Perspective skills masterclass
Hone those drawing skills by shining an Olight onto a vertical object such as a vase, drinks bottle or even another Olight! See how the perspective and shapes change when the light is shone from alternative angles. To highlight the changes, place the item on a large piece of paper (a tube of redundant wrapping paper and a sharpie are perfect for this), trace around the shapes created, cut them out and compare the results.
Ghost story
Not for the extremely small or easily spooked! Needs no explanation, but the ultimate classic. Be prepared to discover just how active your little one’s imagination is! If your ghost stories are terrible, there are thankfully plenty available online, for all ages. Great to pair with a campfire and a few roasted marshmallows to create a spooky atmosphere. A Freyr on low power is a great tool for this game so that the audience can judge which colour makes for the scariest lighting. I asked the 'spirits' to ‘move’ my s2r II by using a hidden magnet in my hand under our plastic picnic table, particularly devious...
Spy messages
Create your own codebook, or use morse code for older kids or the adventurous. An ideal game if the little one has a friend in a nearby house for midnight spy communication. Try a tailcap enabled torch such as the M2R Pro, warrior, warrior mini etc for maximum flash ability. Equally as fun with mum or dad sending messages from the end of the garden while the spy prepares for their mission 'to go to bed on time', indoors, with a warm milk in hand.
Hide and seek
Played this and it worked particularly better than I expected! Just like daytime hide and seek, but played in the dark with hiders having to work really hard to find a lightproof hiding place. I umpired the game and applied penalties for anyone caught with their torch hidden or off! Smaller keychain torches are the key here, such as the i3e and i1r 2 on low.
Hidden messages
Petroleum Jelly glows well under a UV light. For owners of i5UV or i3UV eos OLights, your little 007s can create some secret messages with the aid of a thin paintbrush. These can be painted onto paper or onto wipe clean surfaces around the house (just make sure these get a wiping afterwards!). Once it’s dark, challenge 006 to go and search out the secret messages. For England James...
The good, the bad and the torches
Saving the best until last! Great with a larger group, particularly those with a penchant for different torches. The gradual elimination means it can fill a bit of slack time in the evening. Pairs of ‘pilgrims' face off to have a western style ‘gunfight’ with turned off torches in their pockets or clipped to a belt. A referee says ‘draw’ and the first torch singer to ignite their torch and shine their beam on the opponent's chest takes the win. The winner stays on and the last cowgirl or cowboy standing is crowned sheriff. If using high powered models then a pair of glasses or a baseball hat rim pulled over the eyes, or indeed a blindfold might be a good idea. For experienced hombre, the blindfold can add an extra element to the whole affair! The reverse clip on the warrior mini 2 works particularly well for a quick draw. I’m off to get ‘colt peacemaker’ engraved on my warrior mini...
