Quiplash is an online judgment game where players type in their best response to a prompt and then are pitted against each other as the rest of the players and audience vote on their favorite! Created by Jackbox Games, Quiplash is a console game available on multiple different platforms such as PC, consoles, and mobile devices. Because the game requires a certain level of wittiness and maturity, its target age is 13+. Quiplash has long been a standing favorite of my highschool friend group – game mechanisms such as randomly paired competition, voting by the entire audience, and writing anonymous responses are able to cater to the existing social dynamics for each friend group and create a rambunctious game night environment!
Firstly, to provide some context to the game – Quiplash begins each round by posing two random prompts to each player. Each player has one minute to brainstorm the wittiest response they can think of and submit it from their own device. The computer then acts as an emcee and pits two responses against each other at a time, while the rest of the players and audience vote. Responses are anonymous until after voting, when identities are revealed and the player with the most votes receives points. At the end of 3 rounds, the player with the most points accumulated wins.
Similar to many other judging games, the heart of the game lies in the prompts that Quiplash generates and assigns to each player. This mechanism of prompting creates a humorous and silly environment that sets an unserious tone for the group dynamic during the game, making Quiplash a fun game for strangers as well as good friends. In comparison, get-to-know-you games such as We’re Not Really Strangers are not built on the foundation of humor, and thus may be more awkwards to play with people you don’t already know. In addition to the prompting, typing up your own response is a key mechanism through which friend groups can incorporate their own group dynamics, inside jokes, and shared experiences. Though other judging games such as Cards Against Humanity also facilitate humor through the prompt-and-response structure, these games often have provided response cards which limit how much the game can cater to the specific dynamics of the group that is playing. In comparison, when my high school friends and I play Quiplash, we often return to the same jokes about our quirky AP Chem teacher or funny required books from English class. Allowing players to create their own response also allows the group to self-facilitate what type of humor drives the game – my high school friends have more “non-PC”, out of pocket humor, but other groups may inherently veer away from that. In comparison, Cards Against Humanity can be stale when played with my friends, but can have too many mature topics to be played with other sets of groups. Quiplash offers an ideal balance between setting a funny tone, but also giving players free reign to be creative and witty in their own way. However, this also allows room for sensitive topics to make certain players uncomfortable and disrupt the flow of the game – I’ve played games where bringing up a certain ex-boyfriend has spoiled the entire mood. Quiplash could implement a system where players can veto overly sensitive topics to preserve the light-hearted social environment.
Furthermore, the online platform is a terrific way of facilitating judging and introducing randomness. Quiplash is able to have randomly paired player vs. player competition,so all players will be both judged and involved in voting with each round. This mechanic fosters a more communal social atmosphere, because in other games such as Cards Against Humanity, one player must be singled out each round to make the judgment call. When I play Cards Against Humanity and I am the judge, I have felt uncomfortable when I’m put on the spot. Certain players who believe their response should’ve won will say, “How did you pick that?? X was the obvious choice!” In Quiplash, voting takes this pressure off a certain player and allows all players to experience the fun of judging.
Additionally, the responses are anonymous when first revealed for voting, so it encourages players to be risk-taking in their humor because they won’t experience immediate judgment. The player vs. player structure (where one response is pitted against another) facilitates a competitive spirit that may be lacking when multiple responses are pitted against each other in a pot.
Even though the game is online, it is made for players to sit around and does not detract from the in-person connection felt in the game. Other online judgment games such as Skribble.io lack this aspect of being physically present.
