Sporcle an App Platform for User-generated Quizzes and Games
by Paul Wilks
Aug 5, 2011 9:56 AM –
Install
Sporcle is the official app for the brain-bending website of the same name. A platform for user-generated quizzes and games, in addition to those made by Sporcle, it was recently Amazon’s Free App of the Day. Despite sounding like a name you might give a nasty skin affliction, the app is lots of fun and provides a large number of games for anyone, regardless of your ability or interest. The games are simple to play (if you know the answers!) and the whole platform is regularly updated with new games.
Price: $1.99 via either Amazon Appstore or Android Market
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Low maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Hundreds of puzzles of various interests.
- Massive online community.
- Interactively comment and rate games, or share them amongst friends.
- Array of statistics related to each game and how you compare with other users.
- Regularly updated.
Cons
- Interface is a little on the basic side and could perhaps do with some better navigation.
- Scrolling could be a little smoother.
Features:
I have to admit I hadn’t heard of Sporcle until I found this app. But, what a find! For fans of quizzes, trivia and puzzles this is perhaps the ultimate online mind-bender. Covering a huge variety of topics; from naming the various Facebook Relationship statuses and thinking of words that rhyme with ‘Cat’ to naming the 3-letter abbreviation of amino acids, the service is a bounty for quizzical whimsy and head-scratching fun.
The app first gives you a list of new games in chronological order of release, listing the new at the top. This list can be scrolled down but here it is limited; you must search under specific categories to find more. Once you find a game you like you can click on it to read more information. You can go back to this game menu at any time, but here you get to start the game, read comments resume the game (if you started it) and view results if you have completed it.
Press ‘Start Game’ to get things under way. For example, with the game that involves naming words that rhyme with “cat”, you must type in those words. Doing this is quite easy and the game detects when you have the right answer so you don’t need to submit anything, which ultimately speeds the game up nicely. You have a limited amount of time to complete your answers and, while I found some of the time limits a bit tight, they generally fit what’s required of the player. Eventually your time is up and you are presented with the answers you missed (if any) and you can revisit the main game screen to view how your results compare with those of other gamers.
Even if you are not logged on the game retains your scores and you play the games as often as you like. The game is great with statistics and generates them for you each time you play a game; total answers, high score, low scores, average score, most missed answers, answers compared to others and totals compared to others. It’s great to get that instant feedback that you’re maybe slightly better than average on certain topics, or perhaps you don’t know as much as you think you do! If you do log in, all your points are tallied with your online playing too. The comments section is good for either giving feedback or at least seeing what other people thought of the game.
It’s perhaps the interaction the service offers, in addition to the variety of games to play that must make this popular. Sporcle is a little limited in comparison to the main website, but there is lots to do in the app itself. The only problems I discovered were aesthetic, the scrolling was a little slow and buggy and furthermore the interface appears a little basic and dull. I think though this is a small sacrifice for the wealth of content the app holds.
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Sporcle – New game
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Sporcle – Results, My History screen
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Sporcle – Rhymes with cat game
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Sporcle – Categories
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Sporcle – Game list
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Sporcle – Recent games
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Sporcle – Variety of comparisons
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Sporcle – Game comments
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Sporcle – How your answers compare with everyone else
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Sporcle – Some people eat horse…
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Sporcle – Answer list
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Sporcle – In-game view, enter suitable words
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Sporcle – Time up
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Sporcle – Time up 2
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Sporcle – Log in to Sporcle account
Fun Factor:
The game is lots of fun and there is something in there for everyone. With much of the the content user-supplied, the variety of topics acknowledge the kind of users the game has so there is a real range of interests included.
Addictive:
Sporcle is a huge time killer and while some might get addicted to bettering their scores in certain games, I think the real draw is seeing new games as they come out and determining if you can complete the game with a better than average score. The games really make you think and it’s a good mental workout!
Graphics:
OK, the graphics are absolutely nothing to write home about at all. It’s essentially menus, a few pictures and worded quizzes with little in the way of interesting graphics. Scrolling could be smoother. Added to this the interface itself is a bit rustic and simple. While this isn’t essentially a bad thing it reminded me of a room I should get round to decorating.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
There is a small vibration when you have 30 seconds left but that is the only feature the game utilizes from this section. It’s a little disappointing, there could be some sound effects in there which would be quite nice but this lack doesn’t really affect the game.