Wordle creator promises viral game will stay simple and ad free
WordleA free and simple online word game that has amassed a following of 300,000 people in three months will never become attention grabbing or advert laden, its creator has promised.
Josh Wardle said he had never intended for the game, Wordle, to go viral and wanted to maintain its simplicity.
The game challenges players to find a five-letter word in six guesses, with a new puzzle published every day.
It is available through a free website - but has no smartphone app.
Three minutes
"I am a bit suspicious of mobile apps that demand your attention and send you push notifications to get more of your attention," Mr Wardle told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"I like the idea of doing the opposite of that - what about a game that deliberately doesn't want much of your attention?
"Wordle is very simple and you can play it in three minutes - and that is all you get.
"There are also no ads and I am not doing anything with your data - and that is also quite deliberate."
Players begin by guessing any five-letter word.
- If any of the letters are in that day's word but in the wrong place, they turn gold
- If they are in the word in the right place, they turn green
- If they are not in the word, they turn grey
Players can post how quickly they solved the colourful grid on social media - but in a way that does not spoil the answer for those still playing - which is why, Mr Wardle thinks, it has captured the imagination of thousands.
Each morning
Mr Wardle, a software engineer for social-media platform Reddit, told Today he had come up with a prototype in 2013 but his friends had not been keen on it.
The latest iteration of the game was initially designed for just himself and his partner.
"Last year, my partner and I got really into crosswords and word games and I wanted a game for us to play each morning as part of our routine," he said.
He then shared it with his family on WhatsApp before opening it up to the public.
Button appeared
Asked whether he planned to make money from it, he said: "I don't understand why something can't just be fun.
"I don't have to charge people money for this and ideally would like to keep it that way."
Mr Wardle does have a history of creating popular games, such as Reddit's The Button.
In it, a button appeared on the website with a 60-second countdown and had to be pressed by someone anywhere in the world to keep the game running.
The experimental game lasted from 1 April to 5 June 2015 before a minute passed without anyone pushing the button.