The Joy of Draw Something
Lordy, it’s been a while since I last wrote anything here. In my defence there’s been a lot going on in my life*, all of which I’ve talked to death about elsewhere, so I’m going to ignore it all and instead write about Draw Something.
Me and art aren’t natural friends. I was considering taking GCSE Art until my teacher of the time made it clear this would be a massive mistake in no uncertain terms. And yet, there’s something about the finger-painting clarity of Draw Something that really appeals.
For those that don’t know, Draw Something is basically co-operative Pictionary for mobile phones and tablets. Loads of folks have tried this before, but Draw Something (wearing my game production hat) does pretty much everything right: It’s simple, easy to pick up, rewards long term play with extras and is naturally, actually viral. The Facebook integration isn’t intrusive** and allows you to quickly find friends already playing, and challenge them. Best of all, it lets you watch the other player guessing your drawing in real time, which is a real pleasure and brings some of the atmosphere of board games to the cold, less personal world of mobile phone apps.
I could go on, but what good would talking about it be without a few examples of mine, and my friends, work to date? Here’s some of my favourites. I should add that having recently bought an iPad, it’s far easier to look like an artistic genius on the 9.7” screen:
I was pretty pleased with my output, until I let Philippa have a go on the big screen tablet version and, well, she clearly puts me to shame:
And finally, it’s worth always remembering that drawing for friends will always bring out your least mature side:
Anyone reading this who wants to play with me based on this gallery that Tony Hart would most likely not stick on his fridge, I think my username in the game is alanpmartin.
* Including, as a follow up to my last post, an offer accepted on a house. It is going at a snails pace, but assuming it all goes well, I’ll soon be moving to a two bedroom house in Tooting, South West London.
** This is less true now than when I started writing this post. Since then, and the developer’s $200m buyout by Farmville clevercloggs Zynga, they’ve patched it to ensure it doesn’t work unless you give the app permission to read your data and post to your wall as you, because everyone loves that sort of thing. Or maybe that’s partly why its Daily Active Users have fallen off a cliff…
