Do you ever feel like you know every frame and every lyric from A-Ha’s “Take on Me” music video, but you can’t remember when that big deadline for work is?
Me too. For some reason, all of my favorite songs from growing up are engrained in my brain, ready to be used on command and taking up space that would be much better occupied by actual knowledge. It’s useful for moments like karaoke (look ma, no screen!) and concerts (remember those?). And it also comes in handy when playing Big Potato‘s MTV, The Throwback Music Party Game.
Made for at least four players, this is a perfect late-night game for anyone who remembers when MTV actually played music. It’s filled with all of the biggest MTV hits from the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, and the game itself comes with a buzzer, cards for more than 120 artists, and a gameboard.
There are two rounds for each game: the head-to-head battle and triple charades jeopardy. When I played with three family members, we all sang our hearts out, wracked our brains for those tip-of-the-tongue song titles, and went on a trip down memory lane reliving the anthems that defined our childhoods.
To start, everyone splits up into two teams. In the first round, one player will be nominated from each team to go head-to-head to name different songs based on the card, like “Songs containing the word ‘don’t.'” Players will go back and forth naming those songs and hitting the buzzer, giving the other player 15 seconds to come up with an answer. Go back and forth until someone (usually me, almost every round) gets too flustered, can’t think of anything, or time runs out. Winning this round is important to get a leg up in the next round.
Now … round two! The winner of the first-round picks nine artist cards from eight genres, such as queens of MTV, teenage angst, and headbangers, and choose three of them. The opposing team gets the remaining six, chooses three of them, and discards the rest. Each team will take turns guessing the bands on the cards as a teammate describes them in one word, speaks lyrics, or performs songs by humming. The first team to collect cards from all eight genres wins!
From Busta Rhymes to Britney, MTV, The Throwback Music Party Game is a chance for anyone who has ever heard music to be crowned the master of MTV.
