For this assignment, I decided to play the game Skribbl.io on Zoom with my parents. Firstly, the reason I chose this game is because of the ease with which it can be played remotely; secondly the gameplay is flexible and can be as long or short as your schedule permits. These factors made it relatively easier to coordinate than other games, especially as we were working across continents and with varying time zones.
This game is sort of a virtual Pictionary – players take turns drawing pictures, and the other players have to guess the word based on the pictures. Whoever guesses the word first wins the most points, and the rest of the points are distributed on a sliding scale. The “target audience” for this game would be people of all age groups 5+ who know how to read basic vocabulary and can draw basic shapes. This game is ideal for players who want a bit of mindless fun, and the excitement of this game hinges on players trying to guess each others’ drawings, as well as on players playfully making fun of each other’s guessing/ drawing skills.
Skribbl.io is a game by ticedev, available on all touch screen mobile devices, iPads/tablets, laptops and PCs. However, as was observed during our playtest, its UI is not well-developed for smaller screens such as mobile phones and this puts players at a disadvantage if they play on mobile phones as opposed to laptops. This lack of uniform cross-platform development leads to a frustrating situation for players when they feel like they are not on an equal playing ground with their opponents. Specifically, this lead to the situation where my mom, who doesn’t own a laptop, was struggling to keep up with us on her mobile phone. At the very least, this handicap caused by playing on mobile devices should be noted at the landing page/ instructions page of the game so that players can be prepared for it, instead of feeling blindsighted like we were.
This game can be played with 2+ players, and does not require players to get vulnerable with each other but also provides an outlet for light jesting of eachother. Therefore, this is a good game for people trying to build bonds with each other, although players feeling a certain level of comfort with each other is a crucial element as it can feel vulnerable to be trying to draw publicly/ shout out guesses that may be wildly incorrect in front of a group of people who may judge you for it. Therefore, while a certain small amount of initial trust is crucial in the playing of this game, this game can also definitely help build mutual trust by encouraging players to share these parts of themselves with each other.
A way that its format could be improved upon, is if it includes in-site virtual audiovisual communication channels in addition to the chat feature (for ex – something like discord’s “huddle” feature). This is because most people suggest playing this game virtually with Zoom/ FaceTime open in the background to get players’ real-time reactions and make the game more interactive. It would be easierfor players if they didn’t have to download additional web chat services outside of this game to get the full experience.
Another bug that must be fixed is its user history. My parents live in India, and the internet connectivity in our home is not completely stable which meant that it kept coming in and out. This meant that my mom in particular kept getting kicked out of the game, even if she was forced offline only for a few seconds. She had to then restart the game when she reconnected. This was frustrating for her because she was losing out due to no fault of her own. To fix this, I would suggest that the game keeps its players’ history for at least 2-3 minutes instead of kicking them out immediately, in case they lose connectivity/close the tab inadvertently.
In summary, Skribbl is an exciting multiplayer guessing game that builds friendships, enables laughs, and offers an opportunity for players to let lose. While it is not perfect, it has unique features that truly set it apart and if future iterations fix its minor issues, its popularity will only grow.
