Haven't blogged in a long while!
I have decided to start using this blog again to share posts relevant to my three main topics: Cybersecurity, Mobile Games and Homeless issues.
Today on Mobile Gaming:
Note: My interest in mobile games goes beyond my developing games for my own company. I have always loved games that are like puzzles, sudoku, crosswords, words with friends, scrabble etc. and I tend to get highly competitive. So I am eating my own dog food so-to-speak :D
I am truly amazed at the genius behind Wordle 's UI. I was late to the game. Coincidentally my first game for my self-owned company Playbrainiacs is similar except it is about guessing numbers and does not tell you which numbers are misplaced. There are also other differences in modes of play , levels etc. The game I implemented is not new ( has been around in many forms and I myself played it as a child )
But what I find interesting :
1. Simple UI This UI really inspires me to simplify my own UI to make the game accessible to all players. The simplicity is clear to anyone who has played the game
2. Day 3/ Day7 notifications reminders to users This is a well-known concept to all people in mobile app industry. This refers to a notification or push trigger to remind a user who has installed the app to engage with the app again. Typically, most users forget or disengage around this point in time.
The genius of Wordle ( whether it was intentional or not ) is that by limiting a word a day, users automatically WANT to check it out daily. The old wisdom " The value of something appreciates the less available it is" applies here.
This also enables a game developer to avoid having to write additional code for such reminders. This approach may also go down well with parents or individuals who are always concerned about screen time. Yet, it is considered counter-intuitive since, the more someone engages with your app the more opportunities there are for monetization.
I have already seen some versions which offer unlimited play presumably to meet the needs of those who do not want to limit play. Is this concept of limited play going to stick? Are we going to see more games which limit play? Time will tell.
3. Level of difficulty By not allowing users to choose the level of difficulty, the game code is simplified. Less technical debt is always best. Additionally, as some shared with me, some players want simplicity. They do not want to have to select level of difficulty etc. Better to hide it from the user and perhaps have it be part of the game journey itself.
In the case of Wordle I am not sure there is an easy-to-define "level of play" as, every word is 5 letters long and every play has the same number of tries. I am not sure if this concept will bear out for the players who take pride in reaching different levels of play for brag value and self satisfaction. Please do comment if you are in the game industry and have a perspective.
4. Simple visual experience This is always a key factor for any interface design. Self-explanatory is the best way to go. This is well understood by all but it is not always easy to achieve. Wordle 's color coding achieves this easily. For my game I may unfortunately have to find a different way to simplify the feedback mechanism as I cannot show which digits are misplaced.
What updates will I make to my game's solo play UI remains to be seen. But the simplicity of Wordle has inspired me to take another look at the UI pre-release and make it better. If you like it, thank Wordle too :-)
Disclaimer: I have no personal knowledge of the game or the developer.
Written By
Ms. Gitanjali GulveSehgal AKA Ms. Gitanjali Gulve Sehgal AKA Ms. Gigi Sehgal
Playbrainiacs LLC
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