Overview:
For my critical play, I decided to play Spyfall, a bluffing game targeted towards a young adult/adult audience. The original game was created by Alexandr Ushan, but now there are many variations. I played on the online platform Netgames.io, which digitizes the board game version. The creator of this site, Luke Tsekouras, said, “I made netgames.io so that my friends and I could play our favourite board games wherever we were. Since then, the site has helped millions of people have fun with their friends too.”
The logistics of Spyfall are simple but clever. There must be at least three players, and one of them is randomly assigned to be the spy. Everyone else knows a secret location, and the goal is to figure out who the spy is before time runs out. The spy, meanwhile, tries to deduce the location based on the group’s answers. This setup is designed to induce tension and requires everyone to stay alert. Each player must protect themselves from suspicion by answering questions convincingly, but also avoid giving away too much information that could help the spy. If the group fails to identify the spy, or if the spy guesses the location, the spy wins.
Experience: Spyfall is nothing new to me, I’ve played it many times with friends and family. After playing with different groups, I’ve realized that who you play with really matters. Some people are too obvious in their answers, while others are so vague that it’s suspicious. Personally, I enjoy playing with people who are intuitive and don’t hesitate to call you out, this makes the game more fun and intense.
My own strategy is usually to take the lead in questioning, because it lets me guide the direction of the conversation and observe how others respond. In the rounds I played for this reflection, my friends were not very forgiving. They accused me of being defensive, even when I wasn’t the spy, mostly because my answers were not very specific, I did this on purpose to avoid giving the spy any hints. I noticed that some players couldn’t keep a poker face, which made it easier for me to spot when they were bluffing. For example, in a round where the location was a university, one of my friend here denied ever have visited the place, which immediatelygave them away.
Mechanics & Feedback
The mechanics of Spyfall are straightforward. Each player joins from their own device, is assigned a role, and then the players have free reign from there. The built-in time limit keeps things interesting and stressful, forcing everyone to think and act quickly. From a design perspective, I think the game would benefit from providing optional leading questions for when players run out of things to ask or the game becomes too quiet. This would help keep the energy up, especially with newer or quieter groups.
Compared to other bluffing, Spyfall stands out because it relies more on improvisation and conversation rather than scripted roles or abilities. This makes each round feel unpredictable, but it also means the game’s quality depends a lot on the group’s engagement.s
Ethics:
The ethical question at the heart of Spyfall is whether lying in a game is morally wrong. In everyday life, lying is usually seen as bad because it can break trust and hurt people. But in games like Spyfall, lying and bluffing are built into the rules. By agreeing to play, everyone consents to this temporary deception.
In my opinion, lying within a game setting is not an ethical concern. When you choose to play a bluffing game with friends, you’re agreeing to a set of rules where lying is expected and accepted. After the game ends, the lies don’t matter and haven’t caused any real harm. In fact, they can actually help players develop deductive and social skills. This is very different from lying outside of a game for personal gain, which can have real negative consequences. The game creates a space where these behaviors are not only allowed but necessary for fun and challenge.
