How to Throw an Easy Virtual Teen Birthday Party

by Jillian Leslie on April 02, 2020

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If you have a teen who wants a party right now, here's how to throw an easy virtual teen birthday.

My daughter, Lainey, turned thirteen this week. Thirteen is a big birthday, so instead of canceling her party with all her friends, we decided to move her party online.

How to Throw an Easy Virtual Teen Birthday Party

First, she invited eight of her closest friends on iMessage. She could have chosen to send out an online invitation, but instead, decided to do it quick and easy by sending a message to her group chat.

She told everyone she'd be celebrating on Monday at 4:00pm, that it would happen in a Google Hangout, and that the party would last about an hour.

Want an Awesome Virtual Party Activity?

We bought her Party Pack 3 from Jackbox Games as her main party activity, and it was the best decision ever!

Sure your guests could play Minecraft or Fortnite or Roblox together, but the games from Jackbox were interactive, retro, and fun. Plus, there is a family-friendly mode in case you're looking for that.

The guests had such a great time. There was a ton of laughter. And the party (which was scheduled for an hour) lasted over two. In fact, my daughter was the one who wound it down.

Afterward, two moms texted me to tell me what a great time their kids had and how happy they were that their kids had a fun way to connect with their friends.

Before your start time. I recommend you test your technology because there were some tricks to setting it up. Don't skip this step!

How to Set Up Jackbox Games in Google Hangouts

Start the Google Hangout
Start Jackbox (we bought it on Steam)
In the Jackbox Settings, switch from "Full Screen" to "Windowed"
In Google Hangouts, hit the three dot menu in the top right and click "Share Screen"
In the "Share Screen" menu, click the "Applications" tab, then click on "Jackbox"

At this point, you are now sharing Jackbox to your Hangout, but the audio from the game won't be available in the Hangout because it will be using your microphone for audio by default.

How to Throw an Easy Virtual Teen Birthday Party

We have separate instructions for Mac and Windows.

Jackbox Sound Instructions for Mac

For a Mac, you need Soundflower installed first. You can download Soundflower and get install instructions here: https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower/releases/tag/2.0b2

Open System Preferences
Select "Sound"
Go to the "Output" tab
Select "Soundflower (2ch)"
In Google Hangouts, hit the gear icon to open "Preferences"
In the "General" tab, switch the Microphone input to "Soundflower (2ch)"

Now the sound output from Jackbox will be directed into the Hangout.

Jackbox Sound Instructions for Windows

Go to "Settings, System, Sound"
Under Input, switch from your microphone to "Stereo Mix"
If "Stereo Mix" isn't available, you can use VB-Cable, a free download.

Here's a video to show you what to click!

Here's the birthday cake my husband baked and decorated for the home celebration.

The cake was delicious!

How to Throw an Easy Virtual Teen Birthday Party | CatchMyParty.com

Good luck throwing your virtual teen birthday party!

We'd love to know how yours turned out. Please add your party photos to our site so we can share your party with our community!

How to Throw an Easy Virtual Teen Birthday Party