Kindle Fire users rejoice! Draw Something has finally made it's way to Amazon's android table and now you'll be able to play the popular game with your friends. Time to get creative!
Amazon announced the news on Twitter, in it they revealed that the Pictionary-like social drawing game has been made available for the Kindle Fire. The ample screen space (of up to 7-inch) will be great for easy digital artists to showcase their drawing skills to their friends. And like the game on other devices, users of Kindle Fire can download a free version of Draw Something (supported with ads) or a paid version that is ad-free, it will only set them back 2 bucks.
The Draw Something craze literally happened overnight and it has since become a huge success story in the industry of mobile gaming. In the month of March, Draw Something beat Zynga's Words with Friends and when that happened, Zynga took notice. A few days later, Zynga bought the small gaming company, OMGPOP, for $180million, that's a cool sum of money right there.
Earlier in April, Draw Something achieved over 50 million download in less than 50 days after the game was launched, this milestone made it one of the fastest growing mobile games of all time. Needless to say, Draw Something is a star product and Zynga has been giving it the care and attention that it deserves, the game received a mobile makeover - one that comprises of features that lets uses attach comments to their digital masterpiece and share them over the social networks facebook and twitter. If they choose to, users can also email their pictures or use them as the phone's wallpaper.
According to Zynga, the most guessable words in the game are "rainbow," "catfish," "sun," "fish," "house," "god," and "tornado". The more challenging words that are not guessed correctly as much are "oar," "metroid," "Warhol," "pounce," "polaroid," "meathead," and "autobots."
The words that players love to choose are "starfish," "pregnant," "Hangman," "six pack," and "boom box," and the least chosen word is "latrine." There are now over 6 billion drawings that have been created by Draw Something fans and during its peak period, players were drawing an average of 3,000 drawings per second, astounding numbers!
Play Draw Something with Friends
Draw Something is a remarkable game development achievement, on the 4th of April, the app crossed 50,000,000 users. At present, the game see monthly activity from 36.4 million players, this is according to AppData, a Facebook app metrics site.
The game is in need of new features, it must do so if it wishes to keep it's players engaged. The number of daily active users for Draw Something have decreased from 14.6 million to 12.1 million. This might be an indication of the game's longevity and, the development team is hard at work to make the game even more social as they believe what will keep Draw Something fresh will be the people that you play the game with, and not so much any particular features of the game.
Your experience with the game will vary dynamically depending on the person that you play the game with, when you're playing with your friends, it can make for some of the most fun gaming moments, there was one time, I drew an awful picture, my friend still made a correct guess, he must be psychic. These connections will hopefully make Draw Something last longer and keep its players coming back for more.
The priority and focus of the game would be its social aspects, as opposed to competitiveness, most of the features that's coming in its update will be build around that concept, serving to enhance an already highly social game.
The game is in need of new features, it must do so if it wishes to keep it's players engaged. The number of daily active users for Draw Something have decreased from 14.6 million to 12.1 million. This might be an indication of the game's longevity and, the development team is hard at work to make the game even more social as they believe what will keep Draw Something fresh will be the people that you play the game with, and not so much any particular features of the game.
Your experience with the game will vary dynamically depending on the person that you play the game with, when you're playing with your friends, it can make for some of the most fun gaming moments, there was one time, I drew an awful picture, my friend still made a correct guess, he must be psychic. These connections will hopefully make Draw Something last longer and keep its players coming back for more.
The priority and focus of the game would be its social aspects, as opposed to competitiveness, most of the features that's coming in its update will be build around that concept, serving to enhance an already highly social game.
Why is Draw Something so Popular?
After over 50,000,000 downloads and being bought over for $180,000,000 by social gaming giant Zynga, the popular mobile app Draw Something will see even more new features that will increase the social interactivity of the game.
The app now allows its players to save their drawings and share them with friends and fellow players through Facebook and Twitter. The feature has been rolled out on iOS first, but Andriod phone owners will also see a similar update soon. Alongside the picture is the ability to attach a short message of no more than 100 characters, this serves to provide clues for your friends in your network to join in on the fun of solving your scribbles.
The app now allows its players to save their drawings and share them with friends and fellow players through Facebook and Twitter. The feature has been rolled out on iOS first, but Andriod phone owners will also see a similar update soon. Alongside the picture is the ability to attach a short message of no more than 100 characters, this serves to provide clues for your friends in your network to join in on the fun of solving your scribbles.
"I look at these as features that are about reinforcing the social relationships," the former chief executive of Draw Something, Dan Porter, commented. He now holds a post as vice president and general manager of Zynga Mobile in New York.
If there's a secret as to why Draw Something has become the massive hit it is today, it would be because the game focus on communication and being social, rather than on points and competition.
The game does not reward you for defeating your friends, neither does it encourage you to outrank each other on points or trophies; the main enjoyment to be had would be through the shared experience that both the person drawing and the other individual who's guessing can have when they work together to solve a picture.
Draw Something Update
A relatively new update just a few days ago was made to the beloved game Draw Something, OMGPOP took it upon themselves to add something special to the Android version of the game. In this latest update, OMGPOP tacked on a feature which rewards players to earn coins by watching advertisements, subscribing to services and installing apps - all this through Tapjoy's advertising-driven rewards service.
In a post on Tapjoy's blog, the company remarked that Draw Something brings in several million audiences to their advertising networks and it enables the company to broaden their reach and expand on the base of people that their able to reach out to for their advertising clients. It all means more brand campaigns for their network. The advertising company reported that millions of coins are already being claimed by avid Draw Something fans who then spend their money to buy additional colors and bombs. The game now boast over 50 million downloads and it's widely known as one of the biggest runaway success in the mobile gaming industry.
In a post on Tapjoy's blog, the company remarked that Draw Something brings in several million audiences to their advertising networks and it enables the company to broaden their reach and expand on the base of people that their able to reach out to for their advertising clients. It all means more brand campaigns for their network. The advertising company reported that millions of coins are already being claimed by avid Draw Something fans who then spend their money to buy additional colors and bombs. The game now boast over 50 million downloads and it's widely known as one of the biggest runaway success in the mobile gaming industry.
Draw Something Windows Phone
The Windows Phone Marketplace has recently gotten a mobile game that is a close substitute for Draw Something. The app is called Draw and Guess, it'd very new to the Windows Phone marketplace and it requires a few more layers of polish compared to more established apps like Duudle. The reviews for Draw and Guess are not favourable, Windows phone owners who buy this app are looking for a substitute to the incredibly popular Draw Somethign game and they're using Draw and Guess to tide them over until OMGPOP decide to bring the game over the WP7.
The Windows Phone Marketplace has been growing at an acclerated pace (although it's still nowhere near as full featured as Apple's App Store and even Android store), but its a sign of more exciting apps to come, kudos to Microsoft for putting in time, effort and money into attracting developer to support their platform.
The Windows Phone Marketplace has been growing at an acclerated pace (although it's still nowhere near as full featured as Apple's App Store and even Android store), but its a sign of more exciting apps to come, kudos to Microsoft for putting in time, effort and money into attracting developer to support their platform.
Download Draw Something
Draw Something is avaliable for download on several devices, these are the places where you can download Draw Something for your phone or mobile device.
For your iPhone or iPad, download Draw Something in the Apple App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/draw-something-by-omgpop/id488627858?mt=8
For your Android devices, download Draw Something on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.omgpop.dstfree&hl=en
Draw Something App for the iPhone and iPad costs $0.99, the app also cost $0.99 for android phone and tablets on Google Play.
Downloading the paid version means there won't be ads in your game, you also get to enjoy these special bonuses:
★ 2500 Words to Draw
★ 5 FREE Bombs
For your iPhone or iPad, download Draw Something in the Apple App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/draw-something-by-omgpop/id488627858?mt=8
For your Android devices, download Draw Something on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.omgpop.dstfree&hl=en
Draw Something App for the iPhone and iPad costs $0.99, the app also cost $0.99 for android phone and tablets on Google Play.
Downloading the paid version means there won't be ads in your game, you also get to enjoy these special bonuses:
★ 2500 Words to Draw
★ 5 FREE Bombs
Play Draw Something on WP7
If you envy iPhone and Android phone users because they get to play Draw Something, but you, the WP7 user don't, well fret not, for even though the developers has more or less taken a pass for Draw Something on WP7, there is a similar game on the Windows Phone that you'll be able to play, it will help you tide over the absense of OMGPOP's popular game, and this game's name is Duudle by VISIARC. This game has been out even before Draw Something (Dec 2011, whereas Draw Something was released in March 2012), you can say that Duudle is the rightful predecessor, but it doesn't matter because it's still obscure.
The 2 games are rather similar in style, you have to illustrate words that are given to you best you can for your friends to guess. Unlike Draw Something, Duudle has a time limit, once the time is over, the picture that you created is redrawn for your partner and they will get more points if they manage to guess the words faster. It is like charades but for the new generation. Duudle players on the WP7 can play with people on Android if any of the dozen WP7 owners all happen to be offline.
Draw Something for WP7 is not happening, but you can settle with Duudle, it's about 3 bucks and it's available in the Windows marketplace.
The 2 games are rather similar in style, you have to illustrate words that are given to you best you can for your friends to guess. Unlike Draw Something, Duudle has a time limit, once the time is over, the picture that you created is redrawn for your partner and they will get more points if they manage to guess the words faster. It is like charades but for the new generation. Duudle players on the WP7 can play with people on Android if any of the dozen WP7 owners all happen to be offline.
Draw Something for WP7 is not happening, but you can settle with Duudle, it's about 3 bucks and it's available in the Windows marketplace.
Draw Something 2
There are currently no plans for OMGPOP to make a Draw Something 2, the company is still focusing on polishing their current game and they have many updates lined up. They will most probably expand on the game with different features and different in game goods, a full stand alone sequel to Draw Something is not expected until next year? When Draw Something 2 comes up we'll keep you updated with its exciting news, but until now, we're still having a lot of fun with Draw Something and we still have many different words and colors to draw and collect respectively.
If we had to guess, we think Draw Something 2 will be out when iPhone 5 comes out and it might be using the new features of the iPhone 5, it's exciting to think of the possibilities of the new technology combining with this highly creative game the only limit is one's imagination. One thing wish Draw Something 2 will feature would be the ability to draw with each other in real time, instead of taking turns and then watching a playback of the drawing, a live drawing and guessing would add a whole new element to the gamea nd make it much more exciting to play, it is surely possible with the powerful processor of iPhone 5.
If we had to guess, we think Draw Something 2 will be out when iPhone 5 comes out and it might be using the new features of the iPhone 5, it's exciting to think of the possibilities of the new technology combining with this highly creative game the only limit is one's imagination. One thing wish Draw Something 2 will feature would be the ability to draw with each other in real time, instead of taking turns and then watching a playback of the drawing, a live drawing and guessing would add a whole new element to the gamea nd make it much more exciting to play, it is surely possible with the powerful processor of iPhone 5.
Draw something more colors
The different colours on Draw Something are as follows: dark brown, brown, pink, light beige, very light pink, chocolate brown, orangy brown, reddish orange, red, yellow, greyish brown, maroon, green, yellow, deep blue, light purple, light green, cyan, pink, orangy yellow, light blue, very light blue, green, stale purple, beige orange, light brown, grey, neon green, flashy blue, glamorous purple, strong red, flashy yellow.
There are many more exciting colors for you to discover and explore as you progress through the game with you best friends and earn lots of coin while having even more fun. The colors make the game very fun and vibrant. Everybody who have Draw Something should aim to collect all the colors that they can, just like pokemon, except in this game you have to use coins.
There are many more exciting colors for you to discover and explore as you progress through the game with you best friends and earn lots of coin while having even more fun. The colors make the game very fun and vibrant. Everybody who have Draw Something should aim to collect all the colors that they can, just like pokemon, except in this game you have to use coins.
Draw Something Guess Cheat
Draw Something Guess Cheat is when the player writes out the words instead of drawing it. This happens most often when you're playing a random matchup with a stranger. Draw Something was designed to be played with friends, but sometimes your friends might not be playing the game, so you'd have to pair up with a stranger.
Draw Something Guess Cheat is a problem because it takes the fun out of the game, people do it to earn coins quickly, so that they may buy paint or bombs but it makes the game incredibly boring.
When you run into a cheater, the best thing you can do it to exit the game, these people are ruining the game. When you exit the game, Draw Something keeps track of how many people have cancelled their matches with the cheater, and it'll get more difficult for the cheater to find matches in future.
Here's an example of a cheater
Draw Something Guess Cheat is a problem because it takes the fun out of the game, people do it to earn coins quickly, so that they may buy paint or bombs but it makes the game incredibly boring.
When you run into a cheater, the best thing you can do it to exit the game, these people are ruining the game. When you exit the game, Draw Something keeps track of how many people have cancelled their matches with the cheater, and it'll get more difficult for the cheater to find matches in future.
Here's an example of a cheater
Draw Something Windows Phone 7 (WP7)
There are over 3,000 WP7 owners who would like to see Draw Something available on their device. The fans have signed an online petition, on the game's official forums, and requested for Zynga New York (formerly OMGPOP) to create the game.
Until now, there isn't one single Zynga game created for WP7, and it's highly likely that Draw Something will be the first game to buck the trend.
"Windows and other platforms are something we are examining," Joseph Alminawi, a team member of Draw Something, wrote on the forum, 'but right now, we're focusing on fine tuning the existing apps on iOS and Android. The greater the demand and the larger the market, the higher the appeal for us to put our resources into making a game on a platform. So by all means, please continue to express which platforms you'd like to see Draw Something on - we are listening!"
Microsoft's mobile operating system, WP7, is not popular among the large app and game developers. Angry Birds Space didn't look like it'll make its way onto WP7 but the Rovio's CEO clarified that it will.
Until WP7 catches up with the popularity of iOS and Android, most studios who are looking for maximum exposure for their game will not bother with WP7.
Until now, there isn't one single Zynga game created for WP7, and it's highly likely that Draw Something will be the first game to buck the trend.
"Windows and other platforms are something we are examining," Joseph Alminawi, a team member of Draw Something, wrote on the forum, 'but right now, we're focusing on fine tuning the existing apps on iOS and Android. The greater the demand and the larger the market, the higher the appeal for us to put our resources into making a game on a platform. So by all means, please continue to express which platforms you'd like to see Draw Something on - we are listening!"
Microsoft's mobile operating system, WP7, is not popular among the large app and game developers. Angry Birds Space didn't look like it'll make its way onto WP7 but the Rovio's CEO clarified that it will.
Until WP7 catches up with the popularity of iOS and Android, most studios who are looking for maximum exposure for their game will not bother with WP7.
How to Buy Colors in Draw Something?
You can only buy colours when you're in a game, and it's your turn to draw. To get more colours, click on the '+' sign beside your palette of colours, you'll be taken to the colour shop.
All colors cost 249 coins per set. The full selection are as follows:
All colors cost 249 coins per set. The full selection are as follows:
- Ice cream package
- Fall package
- Holiday package
- Spring package
- Beach package
- Mardi gras package
- Neon package
- Grayscale package
- Shades of red
- Shades of orange
- Shades of yellow
- Shades of green
- Shades of blue
- Shades of purple
- Shades of brown
How to buy Bombs in Draw Something
When you're in the main lobby of the Draw Something app, scroll down all the way, and you will see a button called shop. Upon clicking on the button, you'll be brought into the Bomb shop where you'll be able to stock up on bombs before your next match.
The prices of the bombs are as follows,
1) 400 coins for 10 x Bombs
2) 720 coins for 20 x Bombs
3) 1,600 coins for 50 x Bombs
If you have insufficient coins to buy bombs, you can click on the '+' symbol on the top left hand corner beside your coin counter, you'll be brought into the coin shop. Here, you'll be able to purchase coins with real life money:
1) $1.99 for 400 coins
2) $4.99 for 1200 coins
3) $9.99 for 3,000 coins
4) $24.99 for 10,000 coins
The prices of the bombs are as follows,
1) 400 coins for 10 x Bombs
2) 720 coins for 20 x Bombs
3) 1,600 coins for 50 x Bombs
If you have insufficient coins to buy bombs, you can click on the '+' symbol on the top left hand corner beside your coin counter, you'll be brought into the coin shop. Here, you'll be able to purchase coins with real life money:
1) $1.99 for 400 coins
2) $4.99 for 1200 coins
3) $9.99 for 3,000 coins
4) $24.99 for 10,000 coins
Draw Something Websites
The official website of Draw Something is OMGPOP.com, on their website, you can play their original game, Draw My Thing. The other websites where you would be able to play Draw Something Online would be Facebook.com.
There are many Draw Something Fan sites, they're build by people who really like playing the game, and sharing their pictures online. There's the unofficial fan site www.draw-something.com, they claim to be the number one draw something fan site on the internet. There are also other creative spin offs of Draw Something, one of them is http://draw.to/, this website is inspired by Draw Something and it lets you scribble on a virtual canvas, then you can share it instantly via email, instant messaging, Twitter and Facebook.
The other websites that are dedicated to Draw Something are as follows:
bestofdrawsomething.com/
draw-something.tumblr.com/
www.drawsomethinggallery.net/
There are many Draw Something Fan sites, they're build by people who really like playing the game, and sharing their pictures online. There's the unofficial fan site www.draw-something.com, they claim to be the number one draw something fan site on the internet. There are also other creative spin offs of Draw Something, one of them is http://draw.to/, this website is inspired by Draw Something and it lets you scribble on a virtual canvas, then you can share it instantly via email, instant messaging, Twitter and Facebook.
The other websites that are dedicated to Draw Something are as follows:
bestofdrawsomething.com/
draw-something.tumblr.com/
www.drawsomethinggallery.net/
Draw Something Point System
How does the Draw Something point system work? Well it's really simple, the game gives you 3 different words to draw, these words are of varying difficulty, from easy, medium to difficult. The easy word is worth 1 coin, whereas the word of medium difficulty gets you 2 coins. The most difficult word will get you the most coins, which is 3
There isn't a countdown timer when you are drawing your picture, so drawing it faster or slower does not make a difference in the number of coins that you get. When you are done drawing, your partner will have to guess what you picture is, there's not timer for your parter either, so guessing the words really quickly won't nab you any bonus points. Similaryly, there won't be a penalty given in you place the wrong letters in the boxes, you can choose to take them out or put them back in as many time as you wish.
If your partner correctly guesses the word, both you and your partner will be awarded the respective amount of coins that you were playing for.
There isn't a countdown timer when you are drawing your picture, so drawing it faster or slower does not make a difference in the number of coins that you get. When you are done drawing, your partner will have to guess what you picture is, there's not timer for your parter either, so guessing the words really quickly won't nab you any bonus points. Similaryly, there won't be a penalty given in you place the wrong letters in the boxes, you can choose to take them out or put them back in as many time as you wish.
If your partner correctly guesses the word, both you and your partner will be awarded the respective amount of coins that you were playing for.
Tips for Playing Draw Something
If you're like me, after playing Draw Something for a little, you might have realized that drawing might not be your forte, well, rest easy because you're not alone, and here's a few really useful tips for you to improve your game.
When you're drawing an object or a personality, spot their most disctinctive features and try to depict it clearly - for example, if your drawing MR T, indentify his prominent features like his mohawk and his thick chains, you can draw it on a stick man and add some muscles to him for good measure, you're friend ought to know what you're trying to get at.
Admit it, your fingers obscure the screen and they don't make for very good drawing instruments. This is where a you might want to consider investing in a stylus - it allows you to draw much more precisely and it feels much more natural. A good stylus should not cost you more than $10 and it will come in handy for other apps too, besides Draw Something.
The first things that you should buy in the game would be more colors, they make the words a lot easier to depict and the game a whole lot easier to play. The colors in the game cost coins, and they're not very cheap, I'd recommend that you get colors that you'll need to draw common objects like grapes or rainbows, in other words, get the ones with the larger color palette!
Spot the Most Distinctive Features
When you're drawing an object or a personality, spot their most disctinctive features and try to depict it clearly - for example, if your drawing MR T, indentify his prominent features like his mohawk and his thick chains, you can draw it on a stick man and add some muscles to him for good measure, you're friend ought to know what you're trying to get at.
Using a Stylus
Admit it, your fingers obscure the screen and they don't make for very good drawing instruments. This is where a you might want to consider investing in a stylus - it allows you to draw much more precisely and it feels much more natural. A good stylus should not cost you more than $10 and it will come in handy for other apps too, besides Draw Something.
More colors more flexibility
The first things that you should buy in the game would be more colors, they make the words a lot easier to depict and the game a whole lot easier to play. The colors in the game cost coins, and they're not very cheap, I'd recommend that you get colors that you'll need to draw common objects like grapes or rainbows, in other words, get the ones with the larger color palette!
Cheating in Draw Something
There are many millions of players on OMGPOP's hit game, Draw Something, so when people start cheating on the game, you know you've got a problem.
The chief executive of OMGPOP responded to the issue by saying that cheating is actually less of a problem on the mobile version of Draw Something than it is on the PC - because on the mobile versions, the game is designed to be played with friends and there's a lower chance of them writing out the word because it defeats the purpose of playing the game and it ruins the game for your friends.
The real problem only arises when you have to play with strangers, this is a possibility when none of your friends are online to play with you.
Despite this, there's really no way to stop a person from writing out the word - but OMGPOP has some measures in place to discourage cheating. When the cheaters write out the words, other players usually ignores them and deletes the match, there's a record of how many times a player gets cancelled on, these people will get less matches.
What is Draw Something?
If you've never played the game before, Draw Something makes you an artist by giving you words to draw, your friend then has to guess what you're drawing, players take turn to draw and guess each others drawing. When you earn enough coins, you can use them to purchase colors and different brushes in the store.Draw Something Cheats
People usually take the effort to draw the words, but once in awhile, especially if you're playing with anonymous people on the internet, you get lazy players who simply write out the word on the screen - it's simply not what the game is about and in the long term, these kind of people will spoil the game if OMGPOP and Zynga don't do anything about it.The chief executive of OMGPOP responded to the issue by saying that cheating is actually less of a problem on the mobile version of Draw Something than it is on the PC - because on the mobile versions, the game is designed to be played with friends and there's a lower chance of them writing out the word because it defeats the purpose of playing the game and it ruins the game for your friends.
The real problem only arises when you have to play with strangers, this is a possibility when none of your friends are online to play with you.
Despite this, there's really no way to stop a person from writing out the word - but OMGPOP has some measures in place to discourage cheating. When the cheaters write out the words, other players usually ignores them and deletes the match, there's a record of how many times a player gets cancelled on, these people will get less matches.
How was Draw Something Created? How did it become a Big Hit?
The lead designer of the hit game Draw Something is Garrett Peek, he was the former Associte Creative Director of OMGPOP, but he now works at Zynga as a UI Designer. Draw Something is significant because it's a big reason why Zynga bought OMGPOP for $210,000,000.
Garrett reveals the origins of Draw Something and how it became a hit game.
Who created Draw Something?
Draw Something is the 3rd version of OMGPOP's Draw My Thing - a flash game on OMGPOP.com which was ported over to Facebook in 2011 and then made into a smartphone application in 2012.
The name of the game was discussed for quite some time - the process entailed sending out emails to everyone in the company, to ask for the staff's suggestions - 'Draw Something' was finally chosen because it's marketable, familiar to existing players, and easily searchable.
How did the first version of Draw Something look like?
You’d recognize the UI and the structure, but the gameplay was very different. Originally there was a keyboard entry field for guessing words, a turn timer, achievement unlocks, and a point system. Many of these features were carried over from our flash version of the game, but they didn’t ultimately make the cut. We took an axe to anything that wasn’t fun and ultimately rebuilt the experience several times to enhance the game on mobile. The process was highly iterative.
How long did the game take to make?
Draw Something took about 6.5 months to develop, other games were being built at the same time. The schedule was really tight and the development teams were working on 2-4 games at the same time.
What inspired OMGPOP to create Draw Something?
The game took some hints from Zynga's 'Word with Friends' - thats where Draw Something's asynchronous gameplay came from. An intuitive match menu and a volley approach to gamplay proved to be really popular among casual gamers.
Also, the game was built entirely from scratch, the development team's experience with the earlier game, Draw My Thing, gave them ideas which were used in Draw Something and after a number of tweaks and refinement, it's become really polished.
Draw My Thing was actually OMGPOP's most popular game and that was why the team decided to focus on it.
Some features were trimmed in an effort to make the game as fun and intuitive to play - the development team had to consider that people might not always be good at drawing but they didn't want that to be a deterent. Some of the most competitive features of the game were taken out - like the timer (so players wouldn't feel rushed), points system (so as to encourage more collaboration)
OMGPOP's plans to keep Draw Something fresh would be to approach the game as a platform for communication. The studio feel that they've created something that's inherently fun and enjoyable - a game that allows people to connect with each other in a genuine way, so much so that players wouldn't even mind if they had lost the game. Draw Something taps onto the fundamental human need to communicate and share and that's why the game wouldn't be just another fad.
New features that are planned for the game will help to keep players engaged, fans of the game can look out for a chat system, the ability to share and save images, and new challenge modes - all these will go towards increasing the amount of fun that can be had with Draw Something!
Garrett reveals the origins of Draw Something and how it became a hit game.
Who created Draw Something?
Draw Something is the 3rd version of OMGPOP's Draw My Thing - a flash game on OMGPOP.com which was ported over to Facebook in 2011 and then made into a smartphone application in 2012.
The name of the game was discussed for quite some time - the process entailed sending out emails to everyone in the company, to ask for the staff's suggestions - 'Draw Something' was finally chosen because it's marketable, familiar to existing players, and easily searchable.
How did the first version of Draw Something look like?
You’d recognize the UI and the structure, but the gameplay was very different. Originally there was a keyboard entry field for guessing words, a turn timer, achievement unlocks, and a point system. Many of these features were carried over from our flash version of the game, but they didn’t ultimately make the cut. We took an axe to anything that wasn’t fun and ultimately rebuilt the experience several times to enhance the game on mobile. The process was highly iterative.
How long did the game take to make?
Draw Something took about 6.5 months to develop, other games were being built at the same time. The schedule was really tight and the development teams were working on 2-4 games at the same time.
What inspired OMGPOP to create Draw Something?
The game took some hints from Zynga's 'Word with Friends' - thats where Draw Something's asynchronous gameplay came from. An intuitive match menu and a volley approach to gamplay proved to be really popular among casual gamers.
Also, the game was built entirely from scratch, the development team's experience with the earlier game, Draw My Thing, gave them ideas which were used in Draw Something and after a number of tweaks and refinement, it's become really polished.
Draw My Thing was actually OMGPOP's most popular game and that was why the team decided to focus on it.
Some features were trimmed in an effort to make the game as fun and intuitive to play - the development team had to consider that people might not always be good at drawing but they didn't want that to be a deterent. Some of the most competitive features of the game were taken out - like the timer (so players wouldn't feel rushed), points system (so as to encourage more collaboration)
OMGPOP's plans to keep Draw Something fresh would be to approach the game as a platform for communication. The studio feel that they've created something that's inherently fun and enjoyable - a game that allows people to connect with each other in a genuine way, so much so that players wouldn't even mind if they had lost the game. Draw Something taps onto the fundamental human need to communicate and share and that's why the game wouldn't be just another fad.
New features that are planned for the game will help to keep players engaged, fans of the game can look out for a chat system, the ability to share and save images, and new challenge modes - all these will go towards increasing the amount of fun that can be had with Draw Something!
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