Most people have several groups of friends, neighbors, friends from work, friends from the gym.  The guy from your painting class, that girl from your book club all at you party.  Indeed, it may be difficult for you to keep track of them all.  When you try to get them all together for a party, it can be a complete disaster.  You look around the room only to see your work friends huddled together over here, your gym friends over there and other disparate people wandering aimlessly across the room looking for your friendly face.  To avoid being seen as a bad host it is necessary to get these various groups to mix and mingle somehow.  Assuming copious amounts of alcohol are out of the question, playing some version of the name game may be your best bet.

Depending on the crowd you are entertaining and the type of party you are having, there are several varieties of the name game that could potentially suit your needs. The name of the game is song.  You all, of course, know the song, made famous byShirley Ellis in 1964.  "Marsha Marsha Bo Barsha Banana Fanna Fo Farsha Fe Fi Mo Arsha Marsha." 

The song was made to be modified to for any name and singing the song can be a great ice-breaker with the right group of people in the right setting.  You could also potentially make everyone do a dance or some movement or make every one sing a different person's name, just to make things more interesting.

Another less rambunctious way to play the name game at a party is to have everyone sit at a table or on the floor and for every one to introduce themselves by using their first name and some sort of adjective or animal or some other descriptor that will stick in people's minds.  For example, one person would be silly Susan and another would be Jake the snake.  The name of the game here is decorum, this could be as staid or as raunchy as you or the guests make it. 

There is lots of room here to do some interesting things.  For example, in this variation of the name game, you could ask each person to introduce someone else, or you could turn it into a raffle or game by having the group award points based n the creativity of each person's descriptor.  At the end of the game the person who has the most point gets some trinket or candy.

For a baby shower, the name game can be modified to help the new mom pick a name for her new baby.  The guests can make up a name for the baby based on certain criteria.  For example, the guest might only be allowed to use the letters that occur in the names of the parents or grandparents or pets.  You could also have some sort of prize for the funniest and/or the most creative name to come out during the party. 

For any group or gathering, there is some variant of the name game that will be appropriate fro your gathering. It is a great way to break the ice among a group of people and is a fun way to make introductions without being so formal. 

Furthermore, by making introductions more creative and interesting, your guests are more likely to remember each other's names and feel more comfortable and friendly with each other for at least the rest of the evening and maybe even well into the future.