“What Do You Meme?” is a party card game that capitalises on the popularity of internet memes and combines it with the familiar mechanic of matching cards to elicit humorous responses. The game’s theme revolves around internet culture, specifically memes, which are images, videos, or other forms of media that are spread virally with slight variations or different captions. This theme is highly relatable, especially for younger audiences who are familiar with popular memes and enjoy sharing them with friends. The mechanics of “What Do You Meme?” are simple and easy to grasp. In each round, one player acts as the judge and draws a meme image card, which is placed face up for everyone to see. The other players then choose a caption card from their hand that they think best fits the image or would make the judge laugh the most. The judge selects their favourite combination, and the player who submitted it earns a point. The game proceeds with players taking turns as the judge. The fun promised by the game is primarily social and humorous in nature. It encourages players to tap into their creativity and wit to find each meme’s best or funniest caption. The game’s enjoyment stems from the shared laughter and amusement the combinations create. The designers created this type of fun by selecting meme images that are either already well-known or have the potential to be funny when combined with the proper caption.
Additionally, they crafted various caption cards catering to different senses of humour, ensuring that players find the game engaging and entertaining. One aspect of “What do you meme?” that I really resonated with as a game designer was how the captions/memes themselves were specifically selected to induce this fun. For many of the games that are related to game style of cards against humanity, I feel that competitive edge would have to be the quality of the contents.
The graphic design of “What Do You Meme?” reinforces the theme and fun through its simplicity and the use of familiar meme formats. The meme cards often feature images that are already popular or easily recognizable, which helps players relate to the content. The caption cards have a minimalist design, with a straightforward font and white background, which makes them easy to read and understand. The game differentiates itself from others in its genre, like “Cards Against Humanity” or “Apples to Apples,” by focusing on visual content rather than text-based prompts. This adds a unique element to the game, as players must consider not only the text on the caption cards but also how it interacts with the image. Regarding abuse prevention, “What Do You Meme?” does not specifically address this issue. However, since players know each other, they can self-regulate and avoid crossing personal boundaries. Moreover, playing with a group of friends fosters a sense of trust and understanding, reducing the likelihood of abusive behavior. To improve the game, one could introduce additional mechanics or challenges, such as having players create their own captions or incorporating a voting system to determine the winner of each round. Another improvement could be the inclusion of expansion packs that cater to different interests or age groups, making the game more versatile and appealing to a wider audience.
In conclusion, “What Do You Meme?” capitalizes on the widespread popularity of internet memes and offers players a simple yet engaging game experience that promises laughter and social bonding. The game’s design, mechanics, and theme come together to create an enjoyable experience that differentiates itself from other games in its genre, though improvements could be made to enhance its appeal and versatility.
