Wordle is trending for a reason, so don’t be that contrarian who refuses to do things because they are popular. Also, don’t try Wordle “ironically.” It is OK to like stuff.
Wordle is great, and deserves all the virality.
Do I have to explain what Wordle is?
OK, Wordle was created by a guy (Josh Wardle) who wanted to give his girlfriend, who loves word games, something fun to do (makes mental note to tell husband to code a game for my next anniversary gift). The game gives the player six chances to guess a five-letter word that changes daily. As you make your guesses, the game will show you when you get a correct letter and if those letters are in the right spot. Using those clues, you can, hopefully, guess the word. The game is hosted on a U.K. website (powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle), but, so far, no weird “British” spellings have been the word of the day.
I have played the game 16 times and succeeded every time (OK, one time I got a clue from my spouse). I have managed to get the word in three guesses on seven occasions. I keep hoping for two. One would be amazing, and I’d have to retire after that, probably.
Wordle, unlike other online games, isn’t designed to keep you on the app for as long as possible. Once you got the word, you got to wait until the next one is loaded up (which I believe happens at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time). What a concept for our impatient, instant-gratification seeking digital consumers!
And, Wordle is amazing because it is free.
Like, really, free.
Not, “watch a few ads” free, or “get it as part of a paid subscription” free.
Just free.
Josh Wardle gave us all a beautiful gift. He gave us a way to engage in friendly competition. He gave us a way to talk about something other than COVID and all the other shitty stuff happening in the world.
He gave us something pure, something untouched by clickbait, pop-up ads, and all those other things that make the Internet so terrible.
And, as I write this, I worry this all will end.
The investors are coming, some big gaming company will buy it, and Wordle will be repackaged and sold as something else. You want to keep playing without ads? Just hand over $5 per month. Oh, and for an extra $5, you get Super Wordle! Or, something like that.
I really, really, really hope none of the above happens.
I would rather Wordle fizzle out as many fads do, and become something we all talk about as one of those things we did during a pandemic, then become some contorted, money-making version of itself.
Of course, I wouldn’t blame Josh Wardle for being enticed by the offers. We all got to live, and he could do very well from selling this game.
Maybe that day will come. Maybe it will be tomorrow.
Today, we play Wordle.
Annnnd it's been sold