About the Game
Wordle is a word puzzle game where the player must guess a 5 letter word in 6 attempts. The game was created by Josh Wardle and was originally launched as a web-based game, but now is available on The New York Times’ website and mobile app. The game’s target audience includes puzzle enthusiasts and people who enjoy brain teasers. The game is also for players who enjoy casual games.
How do the mechanics of the puzzle(s) influence the experience of the game?
In Wordle, the mechanics of limited guesses, color-coded feedback, and a shared daily word make the gameplay more exciting, strategic, and socially engaging.
The mechanic of constraining the player to six attempts influences the excitement of Wordle. For example, the player must be intentional with each guess. This increases the weight of each guess, allowing for more excitement when they get a letter or the Wordle correct. Further, players attempt to guess the Wordle without utilizing all six guesses, which increases tension and excitement when they succeed before using all six attempts. In the image below, we can see stats about how many guesses a player has used to finish a Wordle. These stats drive the excitement of wanting to be precise without having to use all six attempts.
Next, the mechanic of color-coded feedback influences the strategy in this puzzle. For example, when the color tile is green, the player knows that the letter is in the correct spot, allowing them to strategize words that have this letter in that position. Additionally, if the letter tile is yellow, the player knows this letter is in the word but not in the correct spot. This can help the player hypothesize words that contain this letter but in a different position. When the tile is gray, the player knows that this letter is not in the word. Utilizing the process of elimination, they know not to use these letters for the next guess. Together, by leveraging this color-coded feedback, the player can make more strategic guesses. In the image below, we can see how a player may utilize the colors to guess the Wordle.
Lastly, a shared daily word makes Wordle a more socially engaging game. This mechanic makes the game more fun through fostering fellowship. The social dimension encourages conversation, comparison of strategies, and even competition among friends and online communities. A shared daily word allows for people to enjoy the fun that the Wordle creates together.
However, a downside of Wordle is that there is only one puzzle a day. Although the shared daily word makes the game more fun, a player cannot continue to play. A suggestion could be to still have a shared daily word, but also have the opportunity to continue to play other Wordles. I am aware that a player can access old puzzles if a player pays, but this still limits the number of Wordles a player would have access to. Another suggestion would be to make older Wordles free to access.
All in all, the mechanics of limited guesses, color-coded feedback, and a shared daily word make Wordle exciting, strategic, and socially engaging for all their players.
Ethics: What kinds of knowledge do the designers of Wordle assume players have?
The design of Wordle assumes that the player knows English. This makes the game not as accessible to people that only know other languages. A suggestion that could improve this would be to have more language options for Wordle on the New York Times app and website. Another assumption is that Wordle assumes the player has a decent lexicon of words to pull from. For example, in the image below the Wordle is “balmy.” This word is not a common word that is spoken. This can limit people who may not have not gone through formal higher education. A solution for this can be to add hints into the game, or even just defining the word after all attempts are used or the Wordle is completed. This can make Wordle a learning opportunity for players and bridge the gap between the design’s assumptions. In short, Wordle excludes people who are not really familiar with the English language.
