Winker (Also known for its other iterations, such as Wink Murder) is an extremely simple social deduction that can be played with most types of cards. In this case, we played the game with cards from UNO. There is one card for every player within the game. Every card is the same color except for one, which is a wild card. The person who draws a wild card becomes the “winker”. Once the game starts, the winker can wink at any other person to eliminate them. Once eliminated, that person waits a few seconds and places their card down, signifying their demise (the winker can also place their card down whenever they want). The last person alive has to guess who the winker is, or else they lose the game.
The similarities between Winker and our game, Corruption, lie not just in the fact that there is an imposter–it’s how the imposter tries to manipulate the other players to turn against each other. In Winker, the winker has to time their card placements and winks in a way that tries to misplace the suspicion of the last player. Using phrases like, “imagine the winker puts their card away first” or “What are the odds of me getting it twice?” force players to question the validity of their own claims. Meanwhile, Corruption uses roles such as the vigil to reveal lies told previously. However, seeing as the vigil can also lie, this also forces players to weigh the facts they have against the suspicions that may have arose during the past rounds. Moreover, even if the corrupt individual is identified, that doesn’t equate to a game over because the corrupt player can still gaslight other players via reverse psychology or bluffing. The mechanics in these games such as player interaction and educated guessing lead to a bluffing dynamic, which then promotes the fellowship and even the challenge aesthetic.
On the other hand, these games have their fair share of differences too. The players in Corruption keep their affiliations throughout the entire game, since they never switch sides within a round. This creates a separation between the corrupt players and the lawful players, resulting in the creation of two secret groups within the player body, making the game feel a lot more competitive. On the contrary, while Corruption clearly establishes two opposing sides, Winker surprisingly has the ability to promote fellowship among the innocent players and the winker, allowing for there the feel of the game to be more casual and low-stress. The elimination system in Winker allows the dead players to know who the winker is, but since they’re unable to take any further action, they automatically become neutral spectators. This allows for the formation of some fellowship between the outed players and the winker, as they both begin to find entertainment in watching the remaining players panic and struggle in their confusion. Below is a short clip from the end of a game of Winker, where eliminated players can be observed bonding with the winker despite originally being on opposite teams.
