Skribbl.io is an online pictionary game created by ticedev and available online. The game is for people of all ages, and can be played by both strangers and close friends. The objective for the drawer is to draw an image that everyone can guess, and the guessers are trying to guess the word as quickly as possible.
In Skribbl.io, judging is used when players are racing to guess the word that the drawer is drawing. The mechanics of judging, specifically getting points as a guesser and as a drawer, leads to constantly changing dynamics of uniting all players against the drawer and other times against each other, resulting in fun by competition, fellowship, and expression.
The relationship between the players can drastically change the experience of the game and the types of fun expressed. A similar judging game like Cards Against Humanity is almost always funner with close friends due to the ability to reference inside jokes and the understanding of each other’s humor and comfort levels, as playing with strangers or coworkers leads to awkward moments and uncomfortable situations. In contrast, Apples to Apples is boring for adults due to the uncreative prompts, but the perfect game for children. Skribbl.io’s inclusion of the mechanics of custom cards effectively bypasses these issues. If playing with strangers or acquaintances, using the basic set of words places everyone on a level playing field and allows for humor in the form of incorrect guesses or bad drawings. If playing with close friends or family, the inclusion of custom words allows for inside jokes to be made and personable drawings. During one round, my friend simply drew a stick figure with a name, and everyone in the group knew to guess “turtle” as that was her nickname.
However, the inclusion of custom words is also a flaw, as it can be used to game the system. If the entire set of words are customized by one player, that player has an advantage and can make educated guesses even before the drawer begins. For example, if there was only one ten-letter word in the custom set list and in a round there are ten blank spaces, you know exactly what the answer is. However, relying solely on the basic words can lead to repetitive gameplay as the word bank isn’t the largest. This is different from a game like Cards Against Humanity where although cards may be repeated, they can be combined in hundreds of different ways to form new meanings. Improvements to this current system would be to increase the word bank of words in the basic version, to have a variety of words of different lengths, or to have themed versions of the game.
Judging can also lead to shifts between unilateral and multilateral competition. At the beginning of the round, there is unilateral competition as every player is against each other and trying to guess the word as quickly as possible, resulting in fun through competition. However, during rounds where no one can correctly guess the drawing, players begin to unite against the drawer, leading to multilateral competition of all the players working together to guess the word. During one round playing against strangers, the drawer began to draw inappropriate images. All the players united together to kick them out, voting to reach the majority.
The mechanics of points, and receiving more points the faster the guess leads to forced collaboration between the drawers and guessers. In order for the drawer to get points, they need to make a good enough picture for as many people as possible to guess, and in order for the guesser to get points, they need to actively make quick guesses. This relationship leads to fun through fellowship, as players need to read their audience and decide how to effectively get their point across. The mechanic of drawing, and the time pressure, leads to dynamics of quick, first-though images that leads to fun through expression. Every player is at a different level and has different art style and different interpretations of a word, leading to a multitude of expressions. In one round I was given the word “shark” and did my best attempt from memory, resulting in a very poor drawing and lots of laughter and some correct guesses. In another round, a player tasked to draw “dive” drew a beautiful image of someone scuba diving, resulting in everyone correctly guessing the word.
