App review: Either Or Game

Category: Games
Price: $1.99
TiP Rating: 4/5 stars
Release Date: 3/02/2010
Version: 1.0
Languages: English
Seller: PeetyCat
Rated: 17 or older (there is an under 17 version of this game — Either Or Game Paparazzi for $0.99)
Link to app (clicking launch iTunes)

App Store Description: It’s a fun and shockingly ‘insightful’ way to get to know someone! Are you looking for an addictive party starter that is simple, engaging and allows for tastefully, edgy humor? Either Or Game has arrived! It will make you laugh and blush at the same time.

Summary: Either Or Game is an iPhone app version of those familiar card-style, conversation-starter games. A straightforward program with decent social networking/sharing features built-in, the app does pose some funny questions that could easily help party goers break the ice — that is, if they don’t mind responding to some racy inquiries.

Review: The Either Or Game is a party question deck in your pocket at all times. In the adult, full version of the game, the deck consists of 250 “cards” which are intended to be conversation starters.

Each card is set up in a basic “either / or” format. The prompt, “Where Ya Comin’ From?”, appears at the bottom of each card to remind players to dig a little deeper into their friend’s responses. According to the rules, any player at any time can ask “Where Ya Comin’ From?” after an answer has been given, to spur on conversation.

You can also take your party global and connect with questions to friends who couldn’t make it to your party. (Or perhaps just play online when not able to get out of the house?) There’s a Facebook, Twitter, and email link at the bottom of each card.

The interface is easy, and this can be a fun party game in itself. So as a straightforward app, there aren’t really any usability issues with this. For me, the main area of evaluation has to do with the content.

Some of the questions are admittedly hilarious — that is, if you’re okay with bedroom-themed questions. The developers (two neighbors/moms according to the web page) designed these conversation starters to be very open-ended and meant them to be taken in different ways. But personally, I found them all to be pretty risqué. (Or do I just need to get my mind out of the gutter?) I understand that the game’s intended purpose is to “get to know you better,” but I’m just not sure if I want to know the preference for “Front Cleavage / Butt Cleavage” from people I just met at a party! I might just skip that one.

I would have had a little more fun with more variety, like “poison or gun” and “lie or always tell the truth,” in the mix. Thankfully, the “write your own” question option does allow for this. But it would’ve been great to have a few more tasteful ones built in.

Still, all in all, I can see most of the questions being fun at parties, and I do recommend having it on hand — but only for environments that are comfortable with “the saucy talk”!

There’s also a teen version of this app. (I’ll be checking that out soon, and will update this post after I’ve had a look.) To be honest, I’m actually looking forward to some less racy conversation starters with different themes.