Whoizit!? It's Guess Who? For The Facebook Generation
April 10, 2012
If you consider yourself a proud '80s or '90s kid, then you probably remember playing Guess Who?. If not, allow me to refresh your memory: In Guess Who?, you and another player each pick a cartoon character from a set of cards and then take turns in asking yes or no questions until one of you guesses the other's character correctly. Now, you, me, and lots of other members of Generation Y are about to be reacquainted with this classic board game, while people who are unfamiliar with the game are about to be introduced to it, through an upcoming social gaming app for iOS called Whoizit!?.
There have long been games inspired by Guess Who? in the App Store, including Guess 'em and Guess the Person? HD. But Whoizit!? isn't just a run-of-the-mill mobile Guess Who? clone. What makes it a cut above the rest is that, instead of stiff cartoon characters, the photographs of the Facebook friends you have in common with your opponent will be used in the game. This idea, of the why-didn't-I-think-of-that sort, should already earn the game a number of "likes."
As implied by the raw screenshot above, Whoizit!? will work in a similar manner to Draw Something, since you and your friend will be taking turns in asking questions over the air. Obviously, Facebook integration is a primary requirement, so the game won't be much use to the Facebook-averse. Perhaps the best thing about having your mutual friends as the subjects is that you can do away with impersonal questions such as "Does this person wear glasses?" and "Does he have a beard?" In Whoizit!?, you're free to pose more fun and intimate questions such as "Have you ever had a crush with this person?" and even "Was this person with us when we did that 'Twilight' movie marathon at your house?" Let Sam and Brett of the Whoizit!? team tell you more about the game in the video below.
If you can't see the video embedded above, please click here.
When I asked Brett how he and his team came up with the idea for the game, he said that he wish he had a cool story to share because he really doesn't know how the idea came about. "I think the more interesting part of the story," he continued, "is what happened after its initial conception. I went to my first Startup Weekend Boston and pitched the idea on a whim because a friend of mine convinced me I wasn't getting the 'real' Startup Weekend experience unless I actually pitched something, no matter how ridiculous. After pitching, though, I got some incredible feedback and the second most votes out of the 80 or so pitches given, allowing me to form an official team and work on the idea for the next 56 straight hours with them. After working together, we pitched again and this time won the Audience Choice Award, which we were thrilled about."
This boost of confidence prompted Brett and company to start a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the development and marketing of Whoizit!?. You can check out their Kickstarter page here, where you can read more about the project and view the initial screenshots for the game. I also asked Brett whether they intend to give the game a more modern-looking interface, to which he replied, "The screen shots we show are just the models we've been using internally in order to make sure we're all on the same page. A large portion of the Kickstarter budget has been dedicated to getting the UI finished professionally."
Brett notes that their $10,000 Kickstarter goal is of the utmost importance in ensuring that their plans for Whoizit!? all come to fruition. With the Kickstarter campaign ending in early June, the Whoizit!? team hopes to release the game in late 2012 or early 2013. Now, guess who can help these guys achieve success with their work in progress. You don't need yes or no questions to realize that the answer is you.
