Ellen DeGeneres
Mobile Party Game: Psych!
Topics
Strategy Consulting, Connected Devices, Game Design
My Role
Creative Director, Design & Dev Team Manager
Bringing Ellen's brand of fun and connection to life, our work on Psych! refined same-room mobile gaming, achieving 2M+ downloads and earning App Store Editor’s Choice recognition.
Objective
The Ellen DeGeneres brand centers on promoting fun, connection, and kindness. Following the success of their first mobile game, Heads Up, the Ellen team sought to expand into multi-device experiences that replaced traditional board games with individuals’ smartphones. This initiative aimed to create a series of digital "parlor games" that enable spontaneous game sessions among friends, whether at home or on the go.
Key Learnings
Conceptually
When creating a same-room multiplayer game, there is a risk of unintentionally increasing isolation, as players may focus on their screens instead of the people around them, even when players are sitting side by side.
By exploring the concept of parlor games, the project shifted its focus from encouraging users to engage with the app to designing experiences that prompt players to connect with each other.
The solution was to select game mechanics that facilitate real world communication and interaction, ensuring players weren’t focusing their energy on their device screen but instead creating meaningful moments with those around them.
Technically
Connecting iOS and Android devices into a single game session posed significant challenges. At the time, neither Apple nor Google had prioritized seamless cross-platform communication.
High-profile third-party frameworks, like Qualcomm’s AllJoyn, were exploring cross-platform, device-to-device networking. However, after working closely with their leadership, it became clear that the available bandwidth and reliability were insufficient for smooth gameplay.
Ultimately, the team chose a cloud-based backend that both operating systems could communicate with effectively.
Outcomes
In its first year game Psych! achieved over 2 million downloads and was recognized as the App Store Editor’s Choice of the Year in the word puzzle category.
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The game was highlighted a number of times on the Ellen show.
Foundation
Parlor Game Design Principles
The first project with The Ellen Show involved translating their brand into a set of experience principles for game design. The goal was to craft a game that resonated with Ellen’s fans while building on the success of Heads Up.
The Heads Up Design Principles:
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It’s a Known Game: Requires minimal learning curve, leveraging shared understanding of familiar gameplay basics.
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Digital Enhances, Doesn’t Distract: Simple digital interactions enhance gameplay without complicating it.
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Drives Immediate Social Interaction: Encourages players to connect and have fun together in the same room.
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Translates Well to TV: Easy to represent gameplay on The Ellen Show, ensuring effective promotion and visibility.
Game Concepts
These principles guided the exploration of game concepts. The team presented ideas through a mix of illustrations, animated gameplay videos, and live proof-of-concept apps.
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Concept: ​Hide and Seek
The classic children's game gets an upgrade using proximity sensors, lights and sounds from your phone, and other digital capabilities.
Concept: Draw It
The classic speed draw guessing game where the drawings are mirrored in real time across devices.
Concept: Luck of the Draw
Similar to games like Apples-to-Apples and Card Against Humanity, you win at Luck of the Draw by knowing your opponents and what they would best react to.
Concept: Psych!
The first game selected, Psych!, challenges players to fool each other by creating convincing answers to obscure questions.
Releasing Psych!
The first game selected, Psych!, challenges players to fool each other by creating convincing answers to obscure questions.
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The design drew inspiration from the Victorian era, aligning with the origins of traditional parlor games.
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A strong emphasis was placed on ease of use to streamline game setup and facilitate smooth turn-taking.
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Interaction between players in the same room was prioritized, fostering social engagement and lively exchanges.
