When Games Matter: Words With Friends and My Mom

When Games Matter is a weekly exploration by Drew Dixon of meaningful moments in games. Operating under the assumption that games do in fact matter, Drew seeks to highlight those moments that have much to say about who we are and the world we live in.

My mother would tell you that I am really bad about keeping in touch with her sometimes (ok most of the time), and she would probably be right.

Hence, Words with Friends. It’s basically a version of Scrabble that you play on your mobile phone or tablet on your own time. Your device alerts you when its your turn to play – each player taking their own turns on their own time. It’s an incredibly convenient way to play a game with another person. Additionally the game has a chat function in which you can leave messages for each other as you play, so this has been a fun way to interact with my mother in the context of a game.

A few things you should know about me. First I don’t play Scrabble–I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have played it over the course of my life. Second you should know that my mom is very intelligent and good at word puzzles and such. Thus I was elated when I was able play “datary” and “treats” on a triple word on her and amass a substantial lead over her. a few turns later, however my mom played “hibiscus on me for 76 points and is now beating me by about 50 points. The teacher is not greater than the master, it seems.

Consequently I think I will be playing Words with Friends against my mom for a while now, at least until I beat her. Hopefully even longer, because it has been a fun way to interact with and keep up with her, and I do in fact love my mother very much.