Skribbl.io is an online multiplayer game created by ticedev. Its target audience includes everyone, and it can be played with friends, family, or strangers. This game is best described as pictionary with drawings, as each player takes turns as the artist who must draw a given word. Other players then guess what the word is. I played the game on my Macbook with strangers by entering a random game. In skribbl.io, no matter whether you are the artist or the guesser, you are always judging and being judged. Everyone has a chance to poke fun at others or become a target of critique, which fosters lighthearted banter among all players.
In Skribbl.io, the scoring mechanic gives more points to guessers who can guess the word before others. Artists are also given points based on how many people guessed their prompt. Thus, guessers are incentivized to guess correctly, and artists are incentivized to draw well. There is also the ability to provide feedback on the drawing, as guessers can like or dislike a drawing. These mechanics lead to a dynamic where guessers are judging artists for how well they can draw something, both in terms of speed and clarity. This judgment can manifest in how quickly players guess the word, the like/dislike buttons, and the chat.
The mechanic of an open chat, where players’ guesses automatically appear and are public to everyone, also leads to a dynamic where guessers judge other guessers. This happens when you have already correctly guessed a word, and you are waiting for others to get it right. There is not much to do, except watch the chat and openly watch other players struggle to identify what, to you, is an obvious word. Other times, a player may know the correct word, only they are struggling to spell it. Other players can, in real time, see their repeated, failed attempts. This public humiliation elicits judgment from other guessers.
Finally, there is a mechanic where artists are able to continue drawing up until the time runs out or until everyone has guessed correctly. Dynamics emerge where artists can reveal their judgment or frustration towards guessers who cannot guess the word. Some artists, like me, would finish drawing a picture and leave it for the remaining time. This signals to guessers that the artist thinks that the drawing is perfect – there is nothing more they can add to make it clearer. Thus, the artist places fault on the guesser if they are unable to guess correctly. Other artists will display their feelings through their art, as they add unnecessary arrows or words to convey their helplessness working with such poor guessers.
Thus, in Skribbl.io, guessers judge artists, guessers judge other guessers, and artists judge guessers. Including the drawing aspect of the game, Skribbl.io offers feelings of expression and fellowship. Not only do players get the opportunity to see each other’s drawing, pattern matching, and spelling skills, they also get to judge each other for it. Additionally, since every player has the ability to judge and be judged, there is more of a need to interact and banter with other players.
