Do You Wordle? What To Know About Viral Game, the Latest Pandemic Obsession for Families

Kids and adults alike have a new pandemic obsession in an online word game called Wordle, a puzzle that has players guessing five-letter words under six tries. The concept is not groundbreaking but it has made many parents and millennials obsessed and preoccupied.

The New York Times did a profile on Wordle creator Josh Wardle, a Welsh software engineer now living in Brooklyn. He said that he set up Wordle for his partner, Palak Shah, who enjoys crossword puzzles. He had this idea to come up with a one-word puzzle every day and the limitations of the game made it so addictive.

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Where To Get Wordle?

Wardle didn't make the game for profit so it is available to download for the mobile or app from a very simple website. Once the game is installed, you can easily open the app and start playing.

Winning at Wordle is a matter of strategy and each game needs to be cleared within 24 hours or else a new word comes up the next day. While the concept seems easy to play, it's really the strategy of guessing the correct letter that gives fulfillment for the users.

The boxes turn green or yellow when the user makes correct letter guesses. However, the yellow box means that the letter is not in the right spot so the user has to do some re-arranging. A gray or black box means that the letter is not included in the word of the day.

Originally, the creator didn't provide a sharing component for Wordle. After seeing many Twitter users posting their results online, the creator decided to add a new button that easily allows the users to post their completed game. Wordle provides users with a hard mode if they want the extra challenge, as well as a color-blind mode and a dark mode for the visually challenged.

The Benefits of Wordle

The game exploded online right after New Year, or two months after Wardle's release. The game has been described as an "arc of decisions, attempts and failures," by the University of Utah professor Thi Nguyen. Psychologist Lee Chambers said that the game helps stimulate the logic and language process of the brain that allows the release of dopamine, the happy hormone. Chambers also said that the game brings a sense of community when families or groups play together and compare how they stack up against each other.

Wardle said that he did not expect that his game would generate such interest. He feels a sense of responsibility for the users so he ensures that the software works correctly every single time.

He told The Guardian that people send him emails about playing Wordle with their parents or other family members whom they can't visit at the moment because of COVID. He also believes that people have been obsessed with the game because it gives them a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that they are smart - all positive outcomes that seem to be lacking on the internet today.

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