Contact Sport

We here at CULTURE realize that to many of our readers, no competitive game works better with a nice bowl of Grape Ape than a few thumb-numbing hours spent curled up to L.A. Noire or Call of Duty. But you’re missing the point. Get your butt off the bean bag and head outside to get some fresh air and exercise. Oh, you can still medicate, but these are some tried-and-true classics that clearly say “game on.”

HACKY SACK

Long the province of Deadheads and Teva sandal-wearers, this game of kicking around a small beanbag has proven to be the pastime you can’t avoid running into in the middle of the quad. With the profound David Beckham-esque eye and ear coordination required to excel, there’s no way anyone can accuse this of being a mindless game reserved for lazy, amotivated types. And if you’re hardcore, explore the worlds of Killer Hack, 4 Square and Power Hack.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Hey, just trying to understand a traditional game of Frisbee is weird if you think of it. Throwing a plastic flying disc around? Lame. But, let’s add some contact sport-like rules, à la football, and suddenly this is a thrill-a-minute game that’ll take precedence over your next Phish bootleg recording session.

GOLF

Try medicating around hole 3 or 4 and you’ll play the most Zen-like game of golf this side of Arnold Palmer. Just make sure you get a cart. And you thought Happy Gilmore was the best thing to happen to golf . . .