New app 'Selfie Games' lets you play selfie-related games with friends

Screenshot_2 — 'Selfie Games.' Buzzito LLC

Who says taking selfies is merely a sign of vanity? Now, a new mobile game promises to make party nights more fun and competitive by allowing up to 10 people to go against each other through casual selfie-related party games.

“Selfie Games” is a collection of selfie-infused activities that can be played on TV. Its first available game, Sketchies, has an interesting premise. Random prompts will be provided for everyone to guess. The players take selfies, which will then be passed around for others to insert sketches and captions—the more ridiculous, the better. Then they must try to guess which caption is correct—but can they?

With hundreds of prompts available, Sketchies intends to stimulate players' creativity by allowing them to come up with various ways to manipulate their opponents’ selfies.

Indeed, the selfie has come a long way. The term itself was named Word of the Year in 2013 by Oxford Dictionaries (not to be confused with the Oxford English Dictionary). And for good reason, since the dominance of mobile devices has vastly improved the quality of smartphone cameras, allowing more people to appreciate their self-taken photographs.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that the term “selfie” reportedly has Australian roots, as is evident from the Aussie tendency to shorten words and add “ie” at the end (“barbie” for “barbecue,” for example). The first recorded use of the word can be traced back to an image of an alcohol-related injury posted by Nathan Hope on the ABC’s Dr Karl Self-Serve Science Forum in 2002.

The rest, as they say, is history. Now, even mobile games have caught on to the craze.

Buzzito LLC’s Peter Martinazzi, one of the developers of “Selfie Games,” explained what makes selfies so important in today’s world. “Selfies have become a key way for many people to stay connected while they are apart,” Martinazzi told International Business Times Australia. “We wanted to let you use selfies to have fun with your friends, and it turns out it's super fun to see you and your friends' faces on TV.”

“Selfie Games” requires a screen to be set up. It supports Chromecast, Fire TV, and smart TVs. The game can also be played by visiting screen.slfi.tv via tablets, computer screens, and Xbox One.

Joining a round of “Selfie Games” is free, but at least one player must have made an in-app purchase to host Sketchies. The game is currently available on Android (version 5.0 and up) and iOS (9.0 or later).