PB
Problem
Name-Place-Animal-Thing is a great game — pick a letter, race to fill in a name, place, animal, and thing before time runs out. But it’s stuck on paper: someone has to call the letter, everyone scribbles, and then you argue over the scoring by hand. It’s fast and social right up until the admin gets in the way.
Why I built it
I wanted to keep everything that makes NPAT fun — the speed, the bluffing, the “is that even a real animal?” arguments — and take out the manual parts. Bringing it online meant the letter, the timer, and the scoring could just happen, so people could focus on playing.
The product idea
The classic game, online: pick a letter, fill the categories under time pressure, and get scored. A digital round keeps the pace tight and the rules consistent, so a quick game stays quick.
The game experience
A round is simple by design — a letter drops, the clock starts, and you fill in your categories before time’s up. Answers get scored, and you go again. The whole loop is meant to feel as fast and casual as the paper version, minus the friction.
Engineering decisions
NPAT runs as a web-based game with a backend that handles the round flow and the scoring, so the rules stay consistent for everyone playing.
What shipped
A playable online version of Name-Place-Animal-Thing — the core game brought into a digital format you can run without paper, pens, or a referee.
Current state
NPAT is live and online.
What I learned
The interesting part of a casual game is protecting the feel — keeping a round fast and frictionless matters more than piling on features. The work was less about the rules and more about getting the pace right.
