Google announces new Chromecast-enabled games for the holidays

Christmas is just a few days away. While I generally enjoy spending time with family, dealing with different personalities and opinions can be quite the annoying ordeal. Disagreements and heated arguments over topical issues, such as the 2016 election, can lead to a stressful holiday. One crazy uncle supporting Donald Trump could lead to a disaster.

Ideally, you want to come prepared with ways to change the subject, while creating an atmosphere of fun too. While in prior years, this may have been a deck of cards or a board game, 2015 is all about tech. If you bring a Chromecast to your host's house this year, you can enjoy playing some fun games together -- on the TV screen -- including newly-compatible games, which Google announced earlier today.

"Now casting is Rovio's Angry Birds Friends, featuring everyone’s favorite red bird, where you can compete in weekly tournaments. Also available is Ubisoft’s Driver Speedboat Paradise, where you race your boat through beautiful canals and waterways around the world", says Wendi Zhang, Chromecast Business Development Games Lead.

Zhang further explains, "we're also introducing several new family-friendly Hasbro games which have been remastered for the big screen experience, including Monopoly Here & Now, Yahtzee Blitz, The Game of Life, and Scrabble Blitz 2.0. These are perfect companions for the downtime before that ball drops this New Year’s Eve.  And lastly, we’re excited to introduce a new way to play Risk -- on Chromecast. Now you can compete for world domination with friends and family".

What strikes me about this announcement is the diversity of the games. These newly-compatible offerings meet many needs, such as skill and age group. In other words, Yahtzee and Angry Birds should quiet rambunctious children, while games like Monopoly and Risk should pique the interest of the adults and teens.

Of course, there are many more offerings available for Google's Chromecast, which supports "casting" from both iOS and Android devices. For a full list of games, please click here.

Will you bring a Chromecast to your host's house this year? Tell me in the comments. If you don't have one, the $35 dongle can be found at Best Buy and other retailers, often with discounts and other promotions. Hell, it makes a great gift too.