Oh, my word! Scrabble bosses make an easier version for the young
SCRABBLE is getting a makeover after claims it is too hard for younger people.
Maker Mattel is launching a new version of the globally played game designed to be more collaborative and accessible for those who find word games tough.
A double-sided board will have the original design for those wanting to play the traditional version. But the reverse will include help cards and a simpler scoring system, making it quicker and easier. Scrabble has been used by parents to help children master language and word formation.
But writer, broadcaster and wordsmith Gyles Brandreth, 76, said: “The makers found that younger people don’t quite like the competitive nature of Scrabble.
“They want a game where you can simply enjoy language, words, being together and having fun creating words.”
The easier version of the game, in which two to four players score points by placing tiles bearing a single letter on a square grid to form words in a crossword format, is called Scrabble Together.
Scrabble rules state words must be included in a standard dictionary or commonly used.
Competitive
A survey found three quarters of players aged between 25 and 34 have used their phones to search a word online to check it exists, while half of Scrabble players have tried to make up a word to win a game. Brett Smitheram, the reigning UK No1 and 2016 World Scrabble Champion, said: “Younger people want to avoid competitive games and a sense of losing, instead favouring teamwork and collaboration in a fun goal.”
In the new game cards provide help and players can choose a level of difficulty to suit their grasp of English. The winner must complete 20 challenges.
GENERATIONS have spent rainy afternoons expanding their word power battling relatives over Scrabble. The manufacturer’s decision to introduce a more “collaborative and accessible” version of the game is nuts.
It is regrettable if young people are turned off by the intense competition this pastime generates. But it is disastrous if a dumbed-down, spellchecker-reliant populace has no idea how to construct words out of the iconic letter tiles.
The venerable rules of Scrabble should not be scrambled for snowflakes.They will be enhanced if they join the quest for a victory-sealing triple word score.