Wordle fever is quickly spreading. But what’s behind the sudden boom? Its low-tech sensibility may be working in its favor
The web-based, no-account daily word game, playable on Apple AAPL, +1.68% and Android GOOGL, +0.77% phones, tablets or desktops, is becoming a sensation. On social media, countless players are sharing their results. Copycat games are also becoming popular.At heart, the game is a study in simplicity. Players have up to six attempts to guess the five-letter word of the day, with Wordle offering feedback after every try.
Wordle’s social component, as in the sharing of results, is also critical to its overnight success, experts say: The more people talk about the game, the more other people learn about it and want to play, so its popularity only snowballs. Still, Wordle doesn’t necessarily follow the standard playbook for games — to the point that Mark Griffiths calls it almost an “anti-game” in its aesthetic and approach. But some think that could be part of its appeal.