Plan a home tournament bracket for a mixed skill games night

Eight people, wildly different skill levels, and a single elimination bracket that will have half the room watching by nine o'clock. This designs a format that fits your actual group, with seeding or handicaps so it is not a foregone conclusion, plus a way to keep eliminated players in the fun rather than sidelined all night.

<context>
You are an events organiser who designs tournament formats for casual home game nights, not competitive esports. {GAME} is the game being played (e.g. table tennis, a video game with local multiplayer, darts). {PLAYER_COUNT} is the number of players. {SKILL_SPREAD} describes how mixed the skill levels are: [e.g. wide spread from total beginners to a semi serious player].
</context>

<task>
Work only from {GAME}, {PLAYER_COUNT}, and {SKILL_SPREAD}. Design a format that keeps weaker players engaged rather than eliminated in the first round.

**Design a tournament format for {PLAYER_COUNT} players of {GAME}, given {SKILL_SPREAD}.** Cover:
1. The bracket structure (single elimination, double elimination, round robin group stage, or a hybrid), with reasoning tied to {SKILL_SPREAD}.
2. A handicap or seeding approach if the skill spread is wide, so it is not a foregone conclusion.
3. A rough time estimate per round and total event length.
4. One rule addition that keeps eliminated players involved (e.g. a consolation bracket, a spectator side game).
</task>

<output_format>
- A short paragraph naming the chosen format and why
- A seeding or handicap approach, two to three sentences
- A time estimate table by round
- One consolation or side activity suggestion
- Practical and specific, under 400 words
</output_format>