BENGALURU: While it was banana bread and Dalgona coffee that was the flavour that helped p eople cope with the horrors and pains of the first two Cov id-19 waves, Wordle is the sensa t ion of the third wave.
A web-based game, Wordle h as taken Bengalureans — in deed the web world — by storm. T he game is simple enough, yet t remendously addictive: Play e rs must guess a mystery fivel etter word in six attempts. So c ial media platforms are now l ittered with green, yellow and g rey boxes as people share the r esults (see box).
Srividya K, a chartered acc ountant, who discovered the g ame while in quarantine last w eek, says it has grown popular since players all over the world are trying to guess the same word, and everyone is sharing a common experience and struggle. “I can’t believe a simple game of word guessing can be so exciting. I wait for the day’s ‘Wordle’ with the same excitement every single day,” she said. The game has even turned into a family activity for many.
Navneet Nair tweeted: “We just started a family wordle as a lunch table game. My son has the word, and we are guessing. A great way to get to improve his spelling and super fun table conversation. ”
Other netizens like Swanand P attributed the game’s success to its originality.
“If there’s one thing Wordle has taught us, it is the fact that all growth hacks, systematic execution, formulaic product building pales in front of ingenuity. ” Simplicity is addictive Karthik Srinivasan, a communications consultant, told TOI that the game’s simplicity, unlike other games and mindless scrolling, makes it addictive. “It is a good addiction to have. It doesn’t take a person’s entire day and won’t make you mad or angry. It is plain, harmless, good old English fun. There is no archiving, no high scores or any pressure at all,” Srinivasan said, adding that the permutations and combinations make the game interesting.
“Solving the puzzle gives one a sense of achievement for the day,” he said. “When peo - ple share it, it is a small secret without spoilers. Each person who sees it gets curious and reminds them to explore the secret themselves. ”
Srinivasan said now that the pandemic has made everything unpredictable, the sense of achieving something and looking forward to a fun activity is a welcome change and a reason for its growing popularity. Memes and popularity The puzzle has its own fan base with memes and jokes around it and its popularity has even Google involved. Srinivasan revealed that when one searches for the game on Google, six squares in the ‘Wordle’ style appear at the top of the results above the search bar, like a tribute.
