4 Pics 1 Word is a

word puzzle Word games (also called word game puzzles or word search games) are spoken, board, or video games often designed to test ability with language or to explore its properties. Word games are generally used as a source of entertainment, but can add ...

game created by LOTUM GmbH, available for free on Android and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

Gameplay

4 Pics 1 Word's gameplay is very simple: each level displays four pictures linked by one word - the player's aim is to work out what the word is, from a set of letters given below the pictures. The game is said to follow the

freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...

model: although the game is free,

microtransactions Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...

are available to help the user progress through th
game
more quickly.

Effect on cheating

The game is written from an English dialect perspective, as well as contains some unfamiliar words, causing some people to turn to cheating sites or apps to get the correct answers. According to psychology PhD Jamie Madigan, "people are more likely to cheat when they are anonymous and that they’ll cheat less the more they are connected to other gamers — the more, in other words, that they are known."

Reception

4 Pics 1 Word has received mostly positive reviews.

PC Advisor ''Tech Advisor'', previously known as ''PC Advisor'', is a consumer tech website and digital magazine published by Foundry, a subsidiary of IDG Inc, which also produces ''Macworld, PCWorld'' and ''TechHive.'' IDG Inc was acquired by Blackstone in 2 ...

gave the Android version 4/5, praising its entertainment value, but stating that the social aspect could be improved. Pocket-lint featured it as their "App of the Day" on the 25th February 2013, praising both its simplicity, and its social aspect. What Mobile also gave it 4/5, praising its simplicity and execution, whilst criticizing its frequency of highlighting the "hint" button. There is also a German version of the game called 4 Bilder 1 Wort.

References

{{Portal bar, video games Word games IOS games Android (operating system) software Word puzzle video games 2013 video games Video games developed in Germany