Our Story

In the spring of 2020, the world locked down to slow the spread of COVID-19. Having lost the ability to socialize with others in-person, a group of people gathered online and modified a social deduction card game, called Ultimate Werewolf, so that it could be played over Zoom. Each night, these strangers spent hours playing games and learning about one another. What began as a way for a group of people to maintain social connections, during one of the most physically isolating periods in world history, quickly became one of the fastest growing and inclusive communities in which any of them had ever been a part. Due to the popularity of these game nights, it was not uncommon for a single game to run as long as 6 hours, feature as many as 40 players (with dozens more spectating), and include residents from every US Time Zone, in addition to several countries around the world. After a night’s round of games had concluded, players often remained on Zoom (frequently until work the next day) to socialize with each other on a more personal level. These cooperative, team-based games boosted the conflict resolution skills of each person, and served as an icebreaker to foster a safe and social community space, allowing individuals from diverse backgrounds and various belief systems to respectfully learn about and build mutual respect with each other. Following the end of lockdown, two of the group’s moderators who had never met prior to the pandemic, Alex Ho of Sacramento and Rusty Barnes of Oakland, each relocated to Los Angeles to be closer to the majority of the community which brought them together and enriched their lives during such a trying time. Alex and Rusty launched Night Zero Productions to continue building and fostering an inclusive community and to share the value of game-based team building with corporate offices.