More Laughs. Less Small Talk: The Origin Story

Laynie Erickson
Mar 17
3 min read

Updated: Mar 18

This Was Never Just About Games

The idea for Laynie’s Games came to me in November 2025.

At the time, I was already doing a little bit of everything. Hosting, planning events, bringing people together and honestly… being the one who turns any hangout into a game night.

It finally clicked:

why not turn that into something?

I wanted to take the things I was already good at- hosting, party planning and playing games, and build something that felt fun, a little extra and actually profitable.

I’ve always been “the host”

Long before Laynie’s Games had a name, I was already doing it.

I’ve been running game nights for coworkers since 2021. I’ve always been the one with questions ready, games planned and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

I’ve never been the type to keep things surface-level. I like to push conversations just past the point of “safe” into the space where people laugh harder, share more and actually connect. It may not be workplace-approved, but it’s exactly what brings people together.

Anyone who knows me knows... I always have questions in the bank.

My girlfriends literally ask me to send them lists from my notes app of what to text guys they’re interested in. And not just basic questions… I’m talking funny, unhinged, slightly spicy, conversation-starting questions.

That’s where a lot of this started.

The moment it clicked

I was planning a surprise birthday celebration for my friend and was brainstorming anything that could take this house party to the next level. Could I rent a hot tub? Hire a private chef? Maybe a stripper? I started looking into hiring a company to host a game night, something like a murder mystery dinner.

It sounded fun… but it didn’t feel like us.

It wasn’t very girl-coded. It was expensive. And most importantly, it wasn’t personalized.

This night I decided to go a different route, curate my own night. A beret, a French accent and lots of wine and cheese... and a few games of course.

That’s when it hit me: no one was doing game nights like I would.

Something that felt custom. Social. A little chaotic. Actually funny. Built around the people in the room.

Building Laynie’s Games

I started with what I knew would work- Sip or Spill.

Dec 2, 2025 I saw my game printed for the first time!

All those questions I had saved? They turned into a game.

A real one.

Something I knew would get people talking, laughing and maybe oversharing just a little bit.

From there, I just kept building.

I brainstormed games I had never seen before. Took ideas that already existed and made them my own. Thought about what works in a group setting, what gets people out of their comfort zone and what actually keeps the energy up. By the end of that month I had printed four games.

Nov. 2025 printing and laminating Celebrity Mixer and Reverse Charades

Then came the details.

Amazon orders. Game supplies. A headset mic- because if I was doing this, I wanted it to feel legit.

And of course… the merch.

I bought a Cricut, a printer and dedicated a corner of my apartment to my new endeavor. I spent hours making custom pieces... shirts, bags, keychains, things people would actually want to take home.

Because winners don’t leave empty-handed!