I think streaming services have ruined TV. Yeah, so does everyone else, alright, I do not care. They totally have! The joy of waiting a week for a new episode of whatever show my sister was watching was a defining feature of my childhood, despite the fact that she is 15 years my senior and I probably should not have been watching TV with her. In order to fill this anticipation-shaped hole in my heart, I have taken to watching long-form YouTube content that has a set upload schedule. My favorite channel these days makes what I think is truly the best free content on the internet. If you are also a fan of extreme anticipation, fast-paced adventures and laughing, I implore you to pull up YouTube right now and search “Jet Lag: The Game.” “Jet Lag: The Game” is a YouTube channel run by three friends who make videos centered on playing games while they travel together. It’s my number-one recommendation for many reasons, though it has mostly risen to my top ranks thanks to its compelling invitation to be more creative in the ways we spend time with our friends.
“Jet Lag: The Game” is genuinely electric. The channel is run by a group of three men—Sam Denby, Adam Chase and Ben Doyle—who play games that involve travelling around cities, countries and continents, sometimes trying to find each other, sometimes racing to complete certain challenges or make it to the most train stations or countries. Essentially, they turn parts of the world map into a board and become real-life game pieces. The show is currently on its 17th season, with each season being either a different game or different location and often featuring a guest player or two.
The show is many things, but perhaps primarily an ode to public transit. The players explore new cultures and learn about their surroundings through the various game mechanics, with challenges that force them to travel to different major cultural sites, try local foods or learn about native flora and fauna, all while relying primarily on a public transit system they are often unfamiliar with. We are truly watching them play and try new things together, experiencing the adventure as they do; they generally do not know what is coming any more than we do, thanks to the diligent work of their producer and occasional guest star, Amy Muller, who puts together the challenges and clues they use to move around the “board.” I do not remember the last time I relished in such powerful delayed gratification as the last time I waited all week to find out if the pair of players I was rooting for caught the train they needed to win.
In a world obsessed with short-term content, I have come to love “Jet Lag: The Game” for its unashamed length and complexity. The creators trust me—and all the other viewers—to come to logical conclusions and engage with the game strategy. I have been known to pull up the occasional German or Taiwanese train schedule and make a prediction of what the next episode will hold. Did you ever play that game as a kid where you close your eyes and point on a map and plan a pretend trip to wherever your finger landed? “Jet Lag: The Game” is the true embodiment of that childlike wonder at the possibilities travel can hold.
There is more to “Jet Lag” than just the exciting cliffhangers and wonder at how the players are still upright after days of nothing but travel, and, of course, extreme jet lag. “Jet Lag: The Game” is an invitation to play with our friends. When was the last time you played with your friends? I remember every game of werewolf, every round of hide-and-seek in the dark, every vicious round of Ticket to Ride I have ever played far better than even some of my favorite moments watching a movie or show with someone I care about.
The “Jet Lag” cast creates content, but they also produce a board game version of their most popular game, Hide and Seek. You can buy the same decks of cards they use for the hider and seeker and gather up a few people and play your own round in any size city. Throughout the videos, they give you tips on how to play with your friends. There are plenty of moments where the minutiae of different game mechanics are explored, which, on the surface, may seem unnecessary and counterproductive to their goal of entertainment. However, I have found it to be quite the opposite, as it makes the game seem like a real thing that they actually want us to participate in, not just consume. Now, I have not bought Jet Lag: The Game’s “Hide + Seek” transit game (yet), but I am in awe of how they have not only created this outrageous sounding concept, but made it accessible for anyone to play as well. How fun would it be to play Jet Lag: The Game’s “Hide + Seek ” with high school friends in your home city? Or, for my fellow seniors, maybe it is the perfect way to learn the ins and outs of the public transit system of wherever you plan to go next.
“Jet Lag: The Game” is entertaining thanks to its unattainability but also the extreme relatability of the cast. It certainly provides an indirect case for comprehensive, fast and free public transit. Beyond all of this, though, it is a reminder that adult life can be full of wonder and of play, we just have to let it.