Jack Yesner Week 15- Wordle and the Human Mind

I would say that I learned about Wordle before most people. I first heard of the word game on TikTok just a couple of days after the new year. However, I didn’t see the appeal of the game initially. It has a very simple concept, it can only be done once per day, and it isn’t even original (the game show Lingo has the exact same gameplay and has been in existence since 1987). Nevertheless, I began doing the daily puzzle starting on January 6. It was an interesting experience to look forward to every day, even when (at the time) I was the only one I knew who played.

And then, something unexpected, something completely unforeseen happened. The game gained sudden, extreme, mass popularity. The player base grew from 90 to 10,000,000 (ten million) in under three months, a growth of over eleven million percent. Its popularity was even promoted by celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon and by television shows such as Saturday Night Live. While developer Josh Wardle only intended his game to be played by one person, his wife, he sold Wordle to the New York Times for millions of dollars. Even as some dedicated players lamented the sale of the game to the New York Times in fear of the game’s future monetization, the fanbase swelled to unprecedented levels, sweeping through the online world. 

Seeing humans’ sudden fascination with the word game led me to wonder about humans’ obsessions with different things. This is not the first time humans have undergone a mass obsession over something as there have been many past obsessions of humans, including the video game Among Us, nightly trivia show HQ, and the exercise and exploration-based game Pokemon Go. So what makes so many people join a trend so rapidly and then stop following the trend just soon after? I believe it comes down to the human qualities of attention span and conformity. Humans have a strong tendency to conform to others and fit into society, and following what others are doing often allows one to become popular among a group of people. This is how these fads become popular so quickly, as people join a trend to connect and fit in with friends, sometimes with the intention of being popular among them. However, a short attention span is the cause of people leaving these trends. Humans naturally become bored of things rather quickly, and often wish to move on to other things and introduce variety into their lives. Therefore, the trend ends quickly as the next trend begins.

Thankfully for Josh Wardle, the intricacies of the human brain made him a millionaire in the span of a couple of months. But while Wordle is peaking in popularity currently, it will likely be just as forgotten as every other lost trend in just a couple of months. For now though, we should appreciate the experience of the daily five-letter puzzle while it is still enjoyed by all.

        Do you play Wordle daily? Do you think this trend will die out or remain popular indefinitely?

Wordle allegedly hacked: viral game spoiled in NY Times shift?

https://time.com/6143715/wordle-sale-josh-wardle-interview/


Comments

  1. Mrs. HFeb 16, 2022, 4:06:00 PM

    I am obsessed with Wordle! I also play Bardle (Shakespeare-related words), Globle (you have to guess a country and they give you hot or cold until you get it), and the broadway word of the day. I love these once a day obsessions, because it isn't like there is so much that it takes over your whole day with playing non-stop, but it gives a chance to stretch the brain!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFeb 16, 2022, 5:54:00 PM

    I only started playing Wordle about a week ago after hearing about it from my friends and I love playing it, if I get the word right. Oftentimes, if I can't get the word I get frustrated but, the second I do get the word, a feeling of accomplishment arises within me. As much as I like Wordle and think it's a very educational and brain-working game, just like every other game, I think it will pretty much die out in a few months. Like these other games, I don't believe it will die out completely but it won't be spoken about as often as most people won't continue playing it every day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousFeb 17, 2022, 12:37:00 AM

    I love playing Wordle, and I play it everyday! I know you said that you heard of it before most people did, but I actually used to play this game in a Wordle book that many years ago. I was obsessed with it, but I lost it and didn't start playing it again until it was made into the online game it is now. I think the trend will eventually slow down, but I think for many people Wordle is a part of their daily routine and may last a while.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFeb 21, 2022, 6:01:00 PM

    I like how Wordle makes you wait a day before playing again. It forces you to be patient while building stakes that you can't get from Wordle Unlimited. Even though I love and play it everyday, I can see Wordle losing popularity in the future.

    ReplyDelete

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