How I Built Three Small Party Games for a Spring Dinner

Description and use

Three lightweight Node.js party games—a multiplayer dance memory game, a rock‑paper‑scissors display, and an open lottery display—ready to run on a laptop and projector with minimal setup.

Problem

Create simple, event-friendly games that can run on a laptop and projector without complex infrastructure.

Outcome

Three small, self‑contained games that can be deployed on a laptop and projector, enabling interactive party activities without complex setup.

Workflow

• 1. Design each game around a single screen or host+player model.
• 2. Implement server logic with Express and Socket.IO for multiplayer coordination.
• 3. Use in‑memory state; no database to keep the app lightweight.
• 4. For the dance game, generate a shared arrow sequence, broadcast it, and validate player input on the server.
• 5. For the RPS display, pre‑select the winner before animating to avoid visual mismatch.
• 6. For the lottery, maintain an array of available numbers, remove drawn numbers, and animate slot reels.
• 7. Add simple settings panels and localStorage persistence for repeat use.
• 8. Publish each project on GitHub with README and start scripts.
• 9. Run locally with Node.js 18+, open host and player URLs, or use Electron builds for desktop.
• 10. Test on target hardware before the event.

Evidence

Each repository has its own README and can be started independently with Node.js 18 or later.

Source

The multiplayer game stores everything in one process. A server restart clears the room, and there is no authentication, HTTPS, rate limiting, or input validation.

Source