The simplicity of this word game has attracted the attention of millions

Mollie Herron | News Editor

One of the world’s newest online game hyperfixations is Wordle. For those who have not yet played it, Wordle is a game that gives players six tries to guess a five letter word. With each guess the player is told which letters are not in the word, which ones are but not in the right place and which letters are in the correct place.

The simple strategy game has taken the world by storm and one of the large contributing factors is the fact that it has remained free for so long, but that may not be the case for much longer. Wordle was recently purchased by the New York Times, which has caused many players to worry about the possibility of it becoming paywalled, requiring a subscription like most of their other games.

The creator, Josh Wardle, has expressed joy about his deal with the New York Times as it was part of the inspiration behind the game and he appreciates the way they respect their players. Wardle graduated right down the road at the University of Oregon with a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Art which he used to create one of the most popular games right now.

Many copycat games have emerged since Wordle’s overwhelming success. In app stores there are multiple games with the same basic puzzle, but claim to be better because the player can solve as many puzzles as they want rather than the single puzzle a day format Wordle has. These copycats include ads and in app purchases so their creators can turn a profit. 

Wordle’s success has also brought attention to a different game on app stores with the same name. When Steve Cravotta, creator of the unrelated Wordle app, realized the profit he made was intended for Wardle, the two decided to donate the funds to Boost! West Oakland. The organization focuses on tutoring and mentoring students through the sixth grade in West Oakland. Wardle’s efforts to give back to the community with his newfound success should encourage others with fresh ideas to think about giving back to the younger generations. 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu