Monday, April 16, 2012

The surprising draw of 'Draw Something'


Post submitted by Reanna Mortensen

  Many smart phone users are utilizing an application called Draw Something. This game, which has the same play at your own pace as Words with Friends, is a mix of Pictionary and a bit of Hangman. It was developed by OMGPop and has 35 million users after only being released for two months.
   The game is played with two players. It can be connected to a social network to find other people you know that play the game. However, random games can be created also. Instead of competing against each other, the two players must work together to draw pictures. At the beginning of each round, one player is given three different words to choose to draw, from easy to hard. They must then doodle whatever word they chose. The other player has to guess the word using the letters they are given. If the word is guessed correctly, then both players are awarded coins based on the difficulty of the word. This cycle continues. The user of the application can have many games going at once. Sometimes easy words such as pizza or phone come up, but there are also harder ones to illustrate such as Adele or Twitter. The correct clues must be given for the other player to be able to guess the word.
    It seems that this app is so popular because it is leisurely. Also, there are no other games like it out there. One must have a phone with a touch screen to be able to draw the pictures with their finger or stylus.


9 comments:

  1. I honestly love this application. I think it was a great find for all smartphone users. Especially i love that the two people must work together. One thing i have noticed is that people who play on a iPad compared to an iPhone or or android have more difficulty because the screen is way smaller. Throughout the game the two players gain coins for all the pictures they are able to guess and with that they can gain more colors in enable to draw more pictures rather then using the basics. I think app again is cool and new BUT then again i don't think it will be around for much longer because many apps are hot at first and then they slowly die down. I know for myself i played a lot the first few weeks and now its gotten to the point where i just haven't said anything.

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  2. As I sit in class and glance over people's shoulders I see them playing this game. Two months ago I would look and see them playing words with friends or scramble with friends or some other game, but this game caught on like wild fire. It is all I see, and I'm a victim of the drawsomething trance. It is a very appealing game because you're not only using the right side of your brain to fill in the blanks with the letters, but you're also using the left side by trying to guess the picture. I think this app is not only fun, but a great way for children to learn how to utilize their whole brain.

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  3. Writing this two days after the previous two comments I agree and disagree. It is a great app beacuse it is fun and takes a little thought but is otherwise mindless. However, I feel like it caught on like crazy but is quickly losing people's interest as quickly as it gained their interest. I think a feature it should have is where users can make their own words. I have played it quite a few times and on occasion get the same words to chose from that I have gotten before. If there was a function where you could pay with the coins you earn to spell an original word with a friend that would be awesome. This would open it up to funny inside jokes or areas of interest that Draw Something will not necessarily offer as an option. This feature would keep the app very popular for longer.

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  4. I agree with all the above comments, this game is very fun. That being said there have been a lot of games that have come out that caught on like wild fire such as Words with Friends. Although the company that developed this game has enjoyed success, being bought by Zynga( the developer of Words with Friends and many other popular social games), it will be interesting how long this success will last. It will probably last until the next "hot" game comes out, but we will have to see what the future holds.

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  5. As everyone has said, this app became really popular really quickly...including with me. What I love is being able to watch the drawing happen and see how fast you can get it--plus how creative and good at drawing your friends are. Also, along with that, I like seeing how long it takes people to guess your drawings. When plying with friends you can draw pictures that only the two of you might understand which makes it more personal. The only downsides are the repetitve words, but I think that is because mine is the free app. I am pretty sure you can buy more words for $.99 or something. Lastly, I like how the words are current trending topics like Twitter or The Hunger Games and stuff like that.

    -David Comm

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  6. I never really get into games but I quickly grew to love this one. My brother introducd me to it several weeks ago. This game is a leisure game. People can play it when they want to play a quick game and you do not have to be Pablo Picasso in order to draw. The problem solving aspect both visually and figuring out the word could take seconds or hours just depending on your skill set. Even the drawing aspect could be challenging but it gives you different levels and options. It is a fun concept. However, I ran into one problem with using it on my phone. For some reason, my touch pad was not allowing me to accurately use my swipe to draw. Other than that, I see this game as being a fad. It is very "of the moment".

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  7. This game, just like every other smart phone trending game, has taken over my life as well as the lives of so many others. It is truly addicting, but it is also just fun. I will definitely say that I am a fan, but to be honest, I don't know how much longer I will be a fan..

    I have heard a lot of people already complaining about how "over it" they already are. I have been playing for a few weeks now and I am already slowing down on my return "draws". I am getting the same words over and over and just like all the other games, it is fading out.

    By the time it even became available on Android, all the people with iPhones were already past the phase of obsession. Either Android needs to pick up the slack and get the game faster or not put it out at all.

    I think these games say so much about our society. We all get obsessively hooked on all of these games and then three weeks later we are on to the next one. Take Words With Friends for example. I played that game for a few months and then left all 16 of my games totally unattended until they eventually told me I lost- whatever. Same with "Scramble with Friends" and other games that involve two people. I think that it is interesting the games that continue to be successful like Temple Run, Angry Birds and the forever old Tetris and Frogger.

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  8. I think this is a great application and shows the great advancements we've made with technology. Though the game itself is a pretty fun and intriguing game, it is rather the concept and ability of the game that presents an endless amount of opportunity for the future in various aspects outside of simply the gaming sphere. This application shows that there is the opportunity to expand the concepts and methods of multiple platforms and through various mediums.

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  9. Hahaha! I think it's hilarious to see all these posts. Like many of you have already said, I love this game. It's completely addicting and is quickly making a ton of money. Not only is it fun, but it's using technology to teach kids and adults alike. Pretty cool.

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