Inside Social Games

I’m still waiting for Facebook developers to translate the iconic Candy Land from board game form to a Flash-intensive social romp. Even this jaded reviewer gets nostalgic for some games. Guess the Sketch Challenge is a “Pictionary” type game cleverly translated to the chat-heavy internet.

The cheery Flash interface explains the simple rules of the game: you are part of a large gaming room with ten or so other players. Each round, someone will draw an assigned object and you guess using the chat feature what that word is. You get more points the sooner you guess the word, and the game cleverly has a filter so that correct answers don’t show up in the chat- only wrong answers. This ensures that you can’t just wait till your friends say the correct word and take credit for it by repeating it.

If you’re good at drawing and a have a great vocabulary, you’ll love this game. The drawing feature is also a real breeze to use- you have a countdown timer and a full palette of colors and brush sizes to use. Black and white usually will do it, though. As the artist, you get the most points when other people guess your drawing quickly. If the word is too tough, you can always pass.

You can challenge friends, see your global rankings, and invite friends to receive bonus hints - giving you a distinct advantage in the game. This latter feature is a unique way to promote the game.

The synchronous elements here are some of the best I’ve seen - you can instantly jump into a new game with several other people and play. In my mind, it’s one of the best Facebook games out there that’s actually both challenging and fun. Guess the Sketch Challenge is an example of why board games work as social games. Bravo.

Gameplay: 8

Developers: 9

Sociality: 9