There’s something so infatuating about Wordle, and I’m not the only one who feels this way. In a matter of months, Wordle has garnered millions of daily users. I started playing Wordle in early January, and it’s quickly become a part of my morning routine that’s of equal importance to brushing my teeth. Obviously, I have quite an affinity for the word game, and here are the reasons why:
- The simplicity of the game
Wordle itself is a new game, but it isn’t re-inventing the wheel of word games. Once a day, users have six opportunities to guess a five-letter word. The letter tiles will appear green if they are in the word and in the correct position, yellow if they are in the word but in the incorrect position, and gray if they are not in the word.
- Understated user interface
The simple Wordle website is intuitive, making it approachable to users. The understated user interface of Wordle also allows the game to speak for itself. It doesn’t need flashy colors and designs to appeal to users like Candy Crush.
- Shareability
After you complete your game of Wordle, the website gives you the option to share your attempts and final score with your friends, without revealing the word of course. My friends and I share our scores with each other every day which helps us stay connected, especially in long-distance friendships.
- Scarcity
Wordle is limited in the fact that users can only play once a day, and that’s what makes it so addictive: You always want to come back for more. I find myself thinking about tomorrow’s Wordle before I fall asleep because I genuinely look forward to playing it every day.
- Adorable Origin Story
Wordle itself was a labor of love—creator Josh Wardle developed the game as a gift for his partner. Wordle’s sweet and humble beginnings make it even more special to me.
While I have such a strong love for Wordle, I’m not so sure how to feel about The New York Times’ acquisition of the game. Not to say that I’m not a fan of NYT’s games, I also play the daily Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee, but I’m wary of the platform putting Wordle behind a paywall. An unsung quality of Wordle is its accessibility, as anyone with Internet access can play the game. Games like Wordle can make learning and practicing English fun, and by putting the game behind a paywall, people are denied access to such.
The Times has yet to release a date for when they will launch Wordle on their Games platform, so until then, users can play for free, and we’ll have to wait and see how NYT’s acquisition impacts the popularity of Wordle.