Parties are fun. Games are fun. Combine the two and we end up with the fortuitous equation: parties + games = fun x 2.

“My mind,” said Sherlock Holmes, “rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere.” Most people, though, prefer a more festive atmosphere.

The first party game that many of us remember, for reasons that require little explanation, is Spin the Bottle. One kid randomly kissing another kid while other kids look on. Then comes Post Office, where half the kids kiss all the kids in the other half (typically split by gender), after which the kissers and kissees switch roles. Unless the kids play in complete darkness (a more daring version called Pony Express), other kids look on.

Some adults eventually move on to “key parties,” where half of the attendees (typically all the men or women) drop their car keys into a bowl. At some point, depending one imagines on the “temperature” in the room, the second group draws keys at random and heads home with their particular “designated driver.” At least in the end they don’t make others look on. (Perhaps they show the video later.)

Swingers now use technology and mobile apps to plan, attend, and hook up at similar parties. It's a matter of swiping right or left, which refers to navigating the app, not a bedroom technique.