DealMe.Cards (http://www.dealme.cards) is a free web app that enables people to play a physical board game they own with their friends over video chat. I developed this with the goal of giving people the ability to feel a small shred of normalcy through the COVID-19 pandemic, by allowing them to perform this classic social activity virtually over the internet.

This is a short video explaining the functionality: https://youtu.be/DoAtHTSuBvs (note that the styling has changed quite a bit since it was shot)

In short, it works like this:

• The host picks and sets up a board game from their collection

• The host can deal out cards to players by using the camera on their phone

• If the cards are meant to be kept secret, the host is able to flip their phone and the card over and snap a picture of it without ever seeing the face of the card

• Players can view a card, highlight it to be played by the host, or show it to all players

• The host can snap an updated view of the game board between each turn

The app itself does not dictate any of the game flow, it simply enables the host and players to participate in a variety of board games by dealing out cards and giving players a few actions that mimic their real life counterparts.

It’s designed for mobile devices, so my apologies if it doesn’t look quite as polished on desktop.

Some ways it differs from other options • The app is entirely free and there is no install

• No advance setup needed (or tools/programming experience)

• It’s designed for mobile

• There is no extra cost depending on the board game you play

Any help in getting the word out would be greatly appreciated! I don’t receive any sort of compensation from its use, but I would love to have some sort of positive effect on people during this time.