The Ultimate Moving Game: Let Friends Help You Move

Developer: Yourself

Genre(s): RPG, Time Management, Strategy

Alternatives: Hire a moving company

Interface: English

Multiplayer: YES – the more, the merrier

Release Date: Moving day

Main Characters: You and your trustworthy friends

Requirements for Best Performance: Physically strong friends with great organization skills who can maintain their focus and good sense of humor under stress and are willing to sacrifice their free time to help you out

Final Goal: Successful relocation to your new home

Bonus Points: Borrowing a pick-up truck from a friend instead of renting one

Price: Cash for snacks and beverages

Now, it’s time to get into the specifics of your moving game with friends.

Have you ever sought refuge from reality in the fantasy world of games? When tired and bored and disappointed with your daily struggles and the constant hardships of life, have you escaped in the make-belief realm of games where you can reveal your dream personality and full potential? Games teach us many things – patience, resourcefulness, caution, but most important of all – they encourage us to keep trying until we find a solution and emerge victorious. Little kids learn their way around through games – their first lessons of life that gradually prepare them in a pleasant and sparing manner for the real challenges they will soon face. So, if a great challenge awaits you in the near future, such as moving house, maybe you will be able to cope successfully with it if you pretend that you are just playing a game. The more difficult a game is, the greater the satisfaction when you achieve a happy end, right?

Consider it for a moment – what if you think of your imminent relocation as a time-management game which requires loyal allies and strategic moves? If your mind is set on a self-move, you can get your friends to help you move by presenting the entire process as an adventure with many challenging competitions, attractive rewards, sincere laughter and lots of fun. If you ensure the help and the pleasant company of reliable pals, there will remain no trace of anxiety and stress to bother you during your move to a new place.

First things first, you need loyal allies for your moving RPG, so:

Invite your friends to join the game!

How To Ask Your Friends To Help You Move

Reach Out Early

There are enemies in every game but your arch-enemy when moving is time. So value it and manage it wisely.

Don’t be under the illusion that people will be able to help you on a short notice. Even your closest friends probably have plans of their own and you need to respect their personal life. Value the time of others as you value your own and ask for help as soon as you have scheduled the date of moving day. Update your status to moving forward and spread the word around 1-2 months in advance, if possible.

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  Use your preferred social network to announce your imminent relocation – this will be easier than contacting everyone in person and your message will reach many people at once. Specify when the moving day is and be sure to express your desire to spend more time with your dear friends before that date and to make everyone know how much you will miss them. If a friend of yours has moved house recently, or if they know somebody else who has done so, take this opportunity to ask them nicely about getting any unwanted packing materials for free, or even borrow some moving equipment;

• Start a new topic “Best moving advice competition” – ask everyone who has some experience with moving or some original ideas to share them. Offer awards for the most useful and/or the most unusual tips (the award can be one of your personal possessions you are not taking with);
• Offer alluring incentives – ask who will be available on moving day and if they are willing to actually come and help you. Promises for food and fun will tip the balance in your favor but what will win the hearts of all who haven’t made their minds yet is the chance to pick and take some of your items that have no sentimental value for you and you are not going to move to your new place for one reason or other. Ask your friends to give you a final answer and make a list of those who are absolutely sure that they will participate in your game.

Once you know who the players will be, it’s time to devise a winning strategy!

Plan The Relocation

A good plan is the key to your final success, so try to foresee every difficulty and provide for every small detail.

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  How many people will you need? Every game has a set number of players to begin with, right? If you are about to move a four-bedroom household, two reliable friends will not cope with the task, no matter how enthusiastic they may be;

• What equipment will be necessary? The right tools will speed things up quite a bit and will facilitate the tasks. Remember that your friends are not professional movers, so rent a dolly, purchase furniture pads, provide sufficient and adequate packing materials, get hold of protective coverage for your floors and stairs, be prudent enough to supply several extra pairs of working gloves, etc. Provide efficient personal protection because each injury will cost you one health bar, you know?
• What is the best method to take larger items out of your old place? Devise an escape route out of your home labyrinth. And while you are unlikely to use a ball of yarn to mark the safest and shortest way out, you are advised to plan ahead and to measure the sharp turns, narrow stairs and doors through which your possessions will have to be squeezed. Decide on the best method and the best route to take everything out and make sure no obstacles remain in the way. Also, remember that you need to properly protect your property, too;
• What vehicles will you use to transport your belongings? A batmobile? Probably not. Book the right size of moving truck you will need well in advance and make sure you know how to reach your future home. If possible, drive along the road, if not – take a view of the path on Google maps or Google street viewer. If you are going to borrow a pick-up truck from a friend, make absolutely sure it will be available on time. In case your friends are going to help you transport some of your household items in their cars, make a list of what boxes will go in each car and provide every driver with a printed map to the final destination;
• Will you need your friends to help you unload too? If so, tell them in advance that the game is expected to have an extended version and make sure everybody knows what items to take where;
• What could possibly go wrong? Research the common mistakes, hidden costs and dangers and unexpected traps and prepare well to avoid as many troubles as possible! Remember – your opponent forces will take advantage of any mistake you make!

Don’t Miss A Thing

Moving organization is just like a strategy game – you know how essential it is to devise an overall winning strategy and think well each of your moves in advance, before you call up your friends to guarantee success. So, use tactics:

Divide Your Friends In Groups

• First group. Ask some of your friends who are not very strong physically but have good organizational skills to come earlier and help you finish packing, cover the floors, walls and banisters with protective materials in order to prevent property damage and personal injuries and move smaller items out of the way;
• Second group. Arrange for your pals who will lift and carry heavy items to arrive just when the loading process is supposed to begin. Moving large and bulky furniture and appliances is very tiresome and while you can cope with everything else by yourself, you can never get this done without help. There is no need to make your friends who will be responsible for loading the moving truck with your heavy belongings, come early and get tired and/or bored while the smaller items are taken away.

Give Everyone Specific Tasks

Clarify the responsibilities of your improvised moving crew. Every player has their strong sides and their weak sides, so take advantage of knowing them. When appointing certain tasks to certain people, take into consideration their abilities and preferences and choose the best person for every job:

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  Let everyone take care of what they are good at. If some of your buddies are tech geeks, ask them to move your electronics – they will know how to safely pack and transport them to your new place. Entrust your books to a book-lover and your sports equipment to someone who is a regular visitor of gyms and sports centers – they will know how to take proper care of the respective items they like and frequently use;

• Ask some friends who are great in organizing stuff and optimizing space to come before moving day and help you pack – their services will be of much greater use that way instead of hauling heavy items around;
• Arrange for a reliable friend who loves little ones to take care of your kids and/or pets on moving day – not having to worry about your darlings is quite a relief;
• Let everyone know exactly what they will be doing, so that they can prepare themselves and make their individual plans. They may even come up with invaluable suggestions or practical solutions of their own;
• Several days before moving day send everyone a message that includes information about: what room/item they will be responsible for; what time to come to your place; a map to your new home if moving locally; a big sincere “Thank you in advance”.

Time Management Is Key

If you are an expert in time management games, then you know how important it is to finish the game before time expires, so prepare to your best. Remember that UNLIKE games, you can’t just hit “Restart” or “Replay”, after all, it’s only a game SIMULATION, so make sure to:

• Pack and prepare whatever you can beforehand. You will be able to get things properly organized in your own way, will save much time on moving day, and will not let your friends think that you left all the hard work for them.
• Mark everything clearly. A good labeling system is a must. Unless you mark everything explicitly, you can’t expect your friends to take the items where they are supposed to. Nobody knows all your possessions or your plans or can read your mind.

Ta-da, the game is about to begin!

How To Organize Moving Day

Start The Game

The early bird catches the worm, so ask the first group to come early in the morning and get to work. However, be caring enough to meet the first enthusiasts with hot coffee and spare several minutes for a good laugh – motivation and encouragement work better than anything else.

Position Your Players Tactically

Remind everyone of their specific roles – what room they are responsible for and what exactly you expect them to do. A well-planned list of tasks should be hung on the entry door for everyone to be able to see it and refer to it.

Double-Clicking As Quickly As You Can Will Do You No Good

• Haste makes waste. Remember that there is no need to rush things – do everything carefully and allow people to have rest. Pressure to finish quicker and hasty movements will only wreak havoc and could cause accidents, so take your time;
• Provide directions but do it in a nice and friendly manner. A playful tone will dispel stress and prevent chaotic actions and decisions. Even if something doesn’t go according to plan, don’t allow a temporary setback to make you nervous – as a good strategist you need to see the whole picture and ensure a happy ending;
• Use the magic words “please” and “thank you” often. They will work like a cheat for your game – whenever you say them, things will magically get done faster and better.

Games Within The Game

Challenge your friends with some brain-teasers and arrange for some fun while moving your items.

• Organize a “Hidden-Object-Game”. Whoever finds something specific you have hidden beforehand or even better – an item you really lost, will receive a special reward;

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  Hunt for pirate treasure. When everything has been moved out, you can use a clever method to double-check your old home for items left behind – tell your friends that a box of home-made cookies or anything equally attractive has been hidden somewhere in the house (in the shower enclosure, under the bottom shelf in the basement – use your imagination) and challenge them to inspect the place for one final time and discover the treasure;

• Prepare special certificates for whoever packs the most boxes, finishes their task fastest, etc. with commemorative prizes (make presents out of your own items – better give a friend your beautiful furry ear-caps that you will not need in the southern state you are moving to than trying to sell it for petty cash). For example, award “The Best Tetris Player” certificate to the person who used the space in a box most efficiently, or a “Hercules” certificate to the one who lifted and carried the heaviest items, a “Brainiac” certificate to the most skillful organizer, etc.

Bonus Appearances

• Appoint a spotter – the most watchful pal of yours should be responsible for warning you if you are about to hit a wall or fall down the stairs and lose a health bar;
• Appoint a photographer – a friend who is skillful with the camera should take photos or videos of funny and embarrassing moments during the move. These will be good memories to laugh at later when the moving experience remains nothing but a distant memory;

Be Alert For Game Bugs And Glitches

Disagreements between you and your friends during the relocation process will ruin all the fun and will result in a game crush. Don’t let the move become a reason to fight with your good friends. If any discords or disagreements in opinions arise, use your experience as a general of strong armies, be wise and be ready to make some strategic compromises.

Time To Reboot

If you want the energy bars to be full during the entire move and the spirits to remain high despite the heavy labor, provide refreshments.

• Plenty of different food. Ordering a pizza has become symbolic but provide some fruits, chocolate or cookies – let people have a choice of their favorite snacks;
• Refreshing drinks. You cannot do without bottled water, regardless of the season, but soft drinks and coffee are irreplaceable energy chargers;
• Let music play. You may ask everyone to bring a flash drive with several of their favorite songs recorded and change the genres frequently so that everyone is happy.

The End Is Within Sight

If your friends are going to help you get to the final destination and transport some of your items in their cars, it’s only fair to reimburse them for gas. Of course, this is only possible when moving locally.Once you arrive at your future home,give your friends a walkthrough of the place BEFORE unloading and explain which box/item goes where. Try to let everyone go at the earliest opportunity – people will be really tired and you will have already taken a significant amount of their free time, so don’t push it too far.

Epilogue

Show Your Appreciation

Invite Everybody To A Party

You can organize a thank-you party the following day or even the same evening if you moved across town. It will be nice to show your gratitude and appreciation immediately. Besides, you will be able to spend some more valuable time with the people who matter to you and have fun. However, in the event of a cross-country move, this is usually impossible.

Invite your pals to a housewarming party in a week or two when you have already settled in. Your friends will see your new well-arranged home and you will be proud and happy with your achievement. This is the perfect opportunity to finally relax after performing a Do-It-Yourself move and show your gratitude to your loyal friends.

Get small gifts for everyone who came to help.Nothing special, just a symbol of your appreciation and friendship to let your buddies know that their help was not taken for granted and to make them smile.

Make Memories Immortal

You made saves several times during the game, right? So, make good use of them to thank your pals in an original manner:

• Photo-albums – prepare a collection of the funniest pictures from your moving experience and give a copy to everyone who participated. Your friends will have an evidence for their heroic deeds – they will share a good laughter and will know their efforts have not been in vain;
• Videos on YouTube – if you managed to take a funny video during the relocation, make sure that many people will see it. Upload it to YouTube and give credits to all your trustworthy friends.

Let your friends know you will return the favor, if they need your help. (Of course, if you moved overseas, this will hardly be an option, but who knows.)

Rate Your Game

Poorly organized DIY moves can actually cause conflicts between you and your friends. Many people are sore losers, so be careful and play your cards well. Unrealistic expectations or unfair attitude will certainly lead to problems and disappointment. You need to be resourceful and careful to make sure that everyone involved keeps their word and things go smoothly. After all, games are all about winners and losers, and some people have troubles accepting defeat, be it only in a game.

It is actually true that moving by yourself is no child’s play. If the game seems to be too complicated for you, or you just can’t get the rules right, consider calling the experts. That is why so many moving companies exist out there – people find it difficult, even impossible to organize and perform a move on their own, so they hire professional services to get the weight off their shoulders. Reputable movers take the responsibility upon them and complete the job in a speedy and competent manner. In exchange for your money you receive some extra time to attend to other important tasks and avoid many troublesome experiences and severe headaches. And you will avoid reaching a dead-end in the middle of the game.

So, how did you like the gameplay when you actually relocated with the help of your friends? How did things go? Can you win your own moving game? Share your experience and your ideas with us.

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