Wordle IRL comes true

Plus that big update to Instagram video we've been expecting is here

Jul 22

In early January I had started at a new agency and the massive blank whiteboard in the main workspace was taunting me to play with it. I invented a game I called “WORDLE IRL” where a word is chosen by someone and the rest of the office works through choosing words and solving the puzzle via markerboard each day – including manual grading. It was the trendiest online game brought to an analog, offline mode that was highly inefficient, super fun, and frustrating to play. And we played for more than three months! YES!

So I wasn’t surprised to hear the New York Times turned Wordle into a multiplayer board game that will cost <$20 and be on shelves by the holidays.

Hasbro Pulse @HasbroPulse

Love Wordle? Gather friends and family together to enjoy the favorite word-guessing game in real life with Wordle: The Party Game! Available for pre-order now on #HasbroPulse!

Although, some of the initial press has been skeptical of how the game will work in real life…

To me, Wordle: The Party Game looks like it might be clunky to play in person. Having to place the tiles over letters after every guess seems like it could get tedious.

As someone who has hosted countless group Wordle games at this point, I can tell you firsthand YES IT IS INCREDIBLY CLUNKY TO PLAY WORDLE OUTSIDE OF THE APP. But imagine if you had only ever played Solitaire via app or mobile and then tried to play with a deck of 52 playing cards on a table where you have to shuffle yourself, there are no cheats, and – worst of all – when you win there isn’t a beautiful card waterfall to celebrate? A nightmare.

Board games are inherently clunky. They don’t take batteries or bleep or have leader boards. Wordle is genius in its simplicity and bringing it to IRL gaming is a great move. I’m excited to play outside the app — and my marker board. Are you?