Rouleddit

A fast paced, Reddit-native guessing game. Featuring engaging gameplay, leaderboards, and flairs, Rouleddit is perfect for pick up and play sessions and for competitive community interaction.

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Inspiration

Our inspiration for Rouleddit came from, well, Reddit! We wanted to create a game that got its entertainment value out of what makes Reddit so popular - dynamic posts, current trends, user-generated content, and massive community engagement. Our game combines the unpredictability of roulette gameplay with word games and Reddit’s unique content.

What it does

Rouleddit is a guessing game where players bet points on the first letter of a randomly chosen top post from a list of appropriate subreddits (excluding NSFW). A list of the chosen subreddits can be viewed at https://github.com/Beartime234/Rouleddit/blob/f7f89e36fddc3a784047d5b6881a146d57346b46/src/settings.json#L26. Players compete to climb the leaderboard, earning unique flairs for top positions. Extensive rules and other notes can be found in our Rouleddit-specific wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/Rouleddit/wiki/index/.

Players can bet on vowels, consonants, groups of letters, or even a single letter, and they can play as often as they like (or until they run out of points). Rouleddit also offers a Daily Mode, where one post is selected every day that offers higher rewards for correctly guessing the winning letter. Results are posted in the subreddit, where players can then create posts and comments to share their thought processes, debate trends and activity in subreddits, and joke about their guesses.

Rouleddit initially focused on Daily Mode, where players could place bets once a day. We pivoted to Endless mode so users could play as much as they wanted and provide more leaderboard competition, as we were concerned about the lack of engagement. This then evolved to include both Daily and Endless modes for more engaging, tiered gameplay.

How we built it

Rouleddit was built using the Blocks framework, and despite its limitations we were able to create a unique game that focuses on leveraging interactive post features with a special twist.

There are a few reasons we chose to use Blocks:

  • Optimisation of in-feed experiences, ensuring Rouleddit retains that Reddit-native look and feel. We didn't want it to feel like a game shoehorned into the website.
  • We prioritised responsive design. Given that mobile visits consistently outnumber desktop visits - approximately 78% use Reddit on mobile (Statista, 2024) - Rouleddit was built with mobile-first design principles to ensure seamless and intuitive gameplay on smaller screens

Challenges we ran into

Excitement/Engagement

The main challenge we faced was making the game feel exciting and engaging to play. Instead of simply picking a random subreddit and post to display, we focused on interval and state management to create an animated, suspenseful reveal that adds excitement and fun to the experience. The build up is part of the fun!

To make the post reveal more dynamic, we added a pulsing gif animation, creating a more engaging visual effect. Since the block framework didn’t natively support this, we had to create a unique gif for every letter. While we considered using Webview, we prioritised ensuring the game was mobile-friendly.

Visually Appealing Design

Another challenge was achieving a polished, visually appealing design within the constraints of the block framework. We quickly found the difficulties of customising fonts as well as other limited design options, which required us to get creative. For example, we used stacks to craft custom buttons and incorporated images for titles to enhance the game’s overall look and feel. We didn’t want Rouleddit to look like a generic cookie cutter game.

Daily Mode

Designing the daily mode also proved challenging, but it seemed like a valuable addition to Rouleddit. It was another way to create an engaged community with a steady flow of posts that would encourage users to comment and foster discussion.

Safe Playing

Finally, we wanted to create a game with rewards and consequences without glorifying actual gambling in any way. This is why users bet using points, and there is absolutely no monetary value to this - just bragging rights and the knowledge that you’re better than everyone else at guessing. We also steer clear of labelling anything as currency.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Reddit Ecosystem

We’re proud of creating a game that, while it may seem like pure randomness and luck, has deeper layers tied directly to Reddit’s user-generated content. By selecting a random post from the top subreddits of the week, players are encouraged to think critically about current Reddit trends. Subreddits with unique naming patterns, like TIFU, add another layer of strategy, creating a dynamic experience where thoughtful guesses can improve your odds.

Rouleddit relies on user-generated content and community trends, making Reddit itself a core part of the gameplay rather than just a hosting platform.

Flairs

Another feature we’re excited about is the flair system. It’s designed so that the top five players on the leaderboard earn unique flairs in the subreddit, making their achievements visible in comments and posts. This massively multiplayer feature takes full advantage of Reddit’s unique mechanics, encouraging friendly competition while giving players bragging rights and recognition within the community. This integration of live scores and interactive posts ensures a seamless Reddit-native experience, making the game feel intuitive and engaging on both desktop and mobile.

Daily Gift

Finally, we’re especially proud of the daily gift system. We wanted a way for players who lose all their points to keep playing without making the game feel endless or inconsequential. The daily gift provides a perfect middle ground, offering a chance to recover from a loss while maintaining the importance of strategic gameplay. Combined with the game’s fast-paced, bite-sized loops, which engage players within seconds, Rouleddit delivers an experience that’s fun, competitive, and easy to pick up and play.

What we learned

We learnt how to leverage Reddit’s Developer Platform to create interactive and engaging content that integrates directly with subreddit feeds.

We also learnt the value of simplicity in gameplay, especially within Reddit. We focused on a pick up and play approach with little commitment or difficult gameplay, played either on desktop or phone. In this way we were able to maintain accessibility while keeping it fun and engaging.

What's next for Rouleddit

We have several ideas for Rouleddit:

  • Themed Daily Mode where days of the week are dedicated to specific subreddits. For example, “Movie Monday” would pick only subreddits based on movies (r/movies, r/flicks, etc.)
  • An in-app shop where players can spend their points on items such as daily multipliers, unique flairs, etc.
  • Introduce more betting options, such as guessing phrases or themes from posts
  • Access to analytics - providing insight to players on their betting patterns and strategies

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