While it’s easy to understand why random video chatting is mainly used for talking to people online, that’s far from the only thing you can do. If you don’t feel like talking about the happenings of your everyday life, you could spice up your chats with something unexpected. Not only will you have more fun, but your online friends will as well.
Every suggestion below can be done without any special equipment; all you need is a webcam, a decent mic, and WiFi. A site like Chatrandom would be perfect for these types of activities, as you can meet all the chat partners you could ever want without even registering. If one person doesn’t seem that enthusiastic about your idea, just try another chat – you’ll find the right person eventually!
Exchange your favorite family recipes
What’s one of the universally loved aspects of every holiday, family reunion, or birthday party? The food. Not only do people enjoy simply eating good food, but families and friend groups alike quickly develop their favorites, making those dishes the staple of every gathering.
If you have your own favorite recipes, it could be fun to share them with someone who has a similar appreciation for the comforts of life. Whether it’s your grandmother’s spice cake, your uncle’s macaroni and cheese, or your best friend’s homemade toffee, plenty of people would probably be willing to trade their own best recipes to see if yours can really live up to the hype.
Work together
Do you have a DIY project that you’ve been putting off? Do you have some study material that you just can’t bring yourself to complete? Maybe that closet in the hall has gotten so messy, it’s now haunting your dreams.
If you have a task that you’ve been dreading, maybe doing it with a work or study partner will make it a little less awful. Not only will you have a bit of accountability to keep you on track, but you can have someone to distract you from whatever you’re doing if needed.
Host a singing competition
If you’ve ever watched The X Factor, you probably know that a bunch of the people on random chat sites are better than half of the contestants on the show – and that’s without any prior training or practice. If you both actually know what you’re doing, great. If neither of you can carry a tune in a bucket, you’ll be in for plenty of laughs.
If you want to add an additional element of hilarity, you could sing in-character as someone else. It could be one of the Muppets, a pop star, or someone who’s just famous for being famous. Get the other person to guess who you’re imitating, or assign challenges to each other. Don’t be afraid to improvise!
Teach each other new skills
The internet is full of step-by-step tutorials and instructional articles, from which you can learn to do anything from unclogging the drain under a kitchen sink, to fixing the tension settings on an antique sewing machine. Those can be life-savers, but wouldn’t it be cooler to learn it from a real person?
Articles on the internet can be a great learning resource, but they aren’t always accurate. Not only will it be more memorable if you learn from a chat partner, but you’ll be getting the facts from someone who’s probably done it themselves.
If you feel like that’s asking too much of a random stranger, think of it from their perspective. They’re video chatting to have fun, so they’re already going to be open to talking about anything they enjoy doing. If the conversation happens to go in the direction of teaching you a skill that they already know, even better!
Hone your storytelling talents
If your day-to-day life doesn’t seem interesting enough to talk about in a random chat, what about the time you ran away to New York and conned your way onto a runway wearing nothing but re-purposed trash bags? If both you and your chat partner have vivid imaginations, let them run wild together!
Your stories could be dramatic, frightening, or humorous – whatever you’re in the mood for. If you wanted feedback on a story you were already developing, a video chat would be the perfect place to get it from.
Practice a second language
The average random chat website doesn’t just have several thousand users, at a minimum; it also has people from nearly every continent participating in video chats. With so many international users online around the clock, random video chats are a great resource for anyone who’s learning a new language.
Even the best textbooks are no replacement for one-on-one practice, and there are plenty of people who’ll get a kick out of helping you speak their native language.
If you aren’t already studying another language, it could be fun to simply swap idioms or quaint sayings with each other. You never know when it could come in handy – plus it’s an easy way to impress your friends.
Show off your pets
People’s love for animals is almost as universal as their love for music. If you’ve come to a slow point in the conversation, the addition of a pet is likely to perk the chat right back up. If you happen to be talking with a fellow pet owner, you can trade stories about what they do when you’re late to feed them, what their favorite activity is, or how they react when it’s time to take a bath. If your pet is willing to stick around for the chat, maybe their antics will provide even more material for discussion!
By the time you’ve gotten through these suggestions, you’ll probably have plenty of your own to try out.
The beauty of random video chatting is that you have all the flexibility in the world for experimentation. If you try something and it just doesn’t turn out like you expected, no problem. There’s always another activity and another chat ready for you to enjoy!
