The game is simple. You’re given a word, an empty canvas and a partner. There are no time limits or penalties. It’s just you and your inner Picasso.
Draw Something is the latest game to take the iPhone and Android application world by storm.
With about 35 million downloads, the game has surpassed other mobile apps, including Words With Friends and Angry Birds, according to the iTunes Store.
OMGPOP Inc., a New York-based social gaming company, began developing the game in September.
Joseph Alminawi, OMGPOP community director, said the company’s development team used player feedback from Draw My Thing, a similar online drawing game, as a foundation to create Draw Something.
Alminawi did not comment on the game’s development costs.
On Feb. 16, the company officially released two versions of the game: a 99-cent version and a free version, which is supported by advertisements.
Alminawi said word-of-mouth and the game’s ability to spark creativity helped increase its popularity in the past month.
“No one has ever really created this outlet for expression,” he said. “It’s less about the game and more about communication.”
Alminawi said the company works to keep players interested in the game by using a word bank relevant to everyday life.
“We never want the experience to be stale,” he said.
Celebrity names, including NBA star Jeremy Lin, actor Tom Hanks and singer-songwriter Lady Gaga have appeared as drawing subjects.
Alminawi said the game will also start featuring words for special events.
“Katniss,” for example, will appear this week in anticipation of “The Hunger Games” film release, he said.
As the game accumulates fans, the company will add new features, including player chat rooms and the ability to save pictures, Alminawi said.
Andrew Johnson has been playing Draw Something on his iPhone every day since Spring Break.
“It’s pretty addicting,” the 19-year-old biology freshman said. “The game makes you take a creative angle on how to communicate without words.”
Although Draw Something is limited to the iPhone and Android, others are trying to not miss out.
Johnson’s twin brother, Andre, has a Windows phone, but that doesn’t stop him from playing against his friends.
“Whenever I hear my brother’s phone go off, I make sure to get a hold of it so I can get a turn,” the 19-year-old microbiology freshman said.
A user guesses the word "computer" from a drawing in the app “Draw Something,” which has been downloaded about 35 million times from the iTunes Store.
