‘Wordle’ sweeps social media, nation

As a college student, staying up until midnight isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s pretty much a common occurrence for students who are scrambling to get their homework submitted in time before midnight strikes.

Recently, however, there has been a different reason as to why people might be staying up late — waiting for the new Wordle to come out.

Wordle is a new online word game that came out a couple of months ago, but was quick to gain popularity this last month. Even though it has similarities to a crossword puzzle, Wordle only releases one new word a day.

Wordle gives players six chances to guess the word of the day. There are three ways that the system lets you know if you are on the right track: the box lights up green if you guess the letter in the right place, yellow if the letter is in the word but not in the correct box and gray if the letter is not in the word at all.

Unlike a traditional crossword puzzle, Wordle usually only takes anywhere from five to 15 minutes to solve. There is no pressure to stress about a puzzle for an hour or two; this allows you to play a fast-paced game that doesn’t take up too much time.

Wordle was created by a Brooklyn-based software engineer, Josh Wardle, according to the New York Times. He created this game initially as a gift to his partner.

A couple of months later, the game is now an internet sensation that has more than 300,000 people worldwide playing — netting a big payday for its creator.

Wordle has also taken over the Twitter world, with people posting their results on a daily basis. For a month, people have flocked to Twitter to post green, yellow and gray boxes to showcase how many guesses it took them to unlock the word.

This simple yet effective way of displaying game results has blown up the game on social media, reaching popularity on Twitter and Facebook specifically. Wordle has captured the attention of those from all walks of life.

The game has provided a breath of fresh air in a time where social media can be filled with all sorts of toxic comments. It captures a fun and innocent energy and sense of community, as people share their trials and tribulations with the daily Wordle.

Wardle netted low-seven-figures from the New York Times for his game. The publication acquired Wordle on Jan. 31, adding it to their legion of crossword style games both online and in print.

The daily game has swept the nation, and it’s continued success lies in what kind of access non-New York Times subscribers will have to the game.