About
Drawception.com[1] is a social site devoted to a variation of the classic game Chinese Whispers. It has had roughly 12,800 players between the time of its creation in 2012 to present. Once signed up to the site, players cooperate with others to play and complete various “games”, in which they draw descriptions and caption drawings in a queue. The final result of these games cannot be seen until it is complete.
History
Drawception.com was created by game designer Jeremiah Freyholtz[2] (nicknamed “Reed”) in March of 2012. The first game was created later that month.[3] The website has undergone several upgrades since then, and players have themselves made advancements in its code [4].
Features
Gameplay
The game of Drawception takes place over a length that can be anywhere from a few hours to days. A game begins when a player creates a phrase, or draws something. The caption or drawing is then randomly put into another player’s queue of games he or she can be in. to be received by other players who will either write a description of the drawing, or draw an example of the phrase. Like the game of Chinese Whispers, the drawing or phrase gets consistently mutated over the course of the game, usually becoming something completely different from what the original player intended. Games usually have twelve to fifteen players that draw or write. When everything is completed, the phrases and drawings are placed next to each in other in the order that they were created in for public viewing.
With XP that players get from playing, they can level up and unlock more benefits, such as being able to play in up to thirty-two games at once.
Community
Drawception is, in a way, a form of social media. Players can interact in ways that do not involve games. The site has a forum devoted not only to the game itself, but also a wide range of other subjects. Contests are held around holidays such as New Year’s or Valentine’s day, and participants receive “coins”, a system of faux virtual currency that can be used to level up.
Highlights
In-jokes
Drawception has multiple ongoing gags that transcend into different games. Some of the most persistent ones include Trouble Muffin (a muffin with an eyepatch that consistently causes mayhem) and PS3 Controls Intuitive Enough for Seal (centering on the misinterpretation of a seal as the singer Seal and shown above).
Outside Attention
Drawception has received attention from larger personalities and site in the past, such as celebrity Felecia Day[5] and the popular Youtube channel Drawfee.[6] It was also noticed by the video game blog Kotaku in its early years.[7]
Search Interest
External Reference
[1]Drawception – Drawception
[2]Jeremiah Freyholtz – Freyholtz’s Site
[3]Drawception – A princess in a castle
[4]Drawception – Grom PE’s Enhancement Script
[5]Felecia Day – Felecia Day’s Flog
[7]Kotaku – Praise for Drawception