Psych! Outwit Your Friends (iOS and Android) is an “exciting new party game” by comedic genius and TV star Ellen Degeneres. I know, I know, “exciting new party game” doesn’t really sound like something that would excite you. Or anyone else you know, for that matter. But I’ll have you know that I gave that same look of apprehension to the friends who begged me to download it – and twenty minutes later, I was a convert.
Convert In 20 Minutes
Simply put, the aim of the game is to gather a bunch of your wackiest friends and answer trivia questions. Except it doesn’t really matter how good you are at general trivia: Psych!’s questions are so ridiculous and over-the-top that it hardly matters.
Here’s how creator Ellen Degeneres explains it – you play it with your friends, in person, in the same room, and you all have a phone, and you all make up fake answers to real trivia, and then you have to guess what the real answer is.
For added fun, among the multiple choice answers you’re shown will hide incorrect answers that other players input. Pick the wrong answer and you’re Psych!-ed – and likely, the newly minted laughing stock of your group. Take this question for example: what is a group of zebras called? And more importantly, how do you make your friend pick something outrageously wrong?
How to win? You score points when you answer a question correctly. You also score points when any other player incorrectly selects your suggested answer. Ultimately, sweep the scoreboard, and you’ll win the game.
How To Win In A Game Of Psych!
There are several strategies to winning a Psych! game. You could focus on answering all the trivia questions as best you can, or put all your energy into “reading” your friends and suggesting answers you think they’ll pick based on their personalities and personal preferences. Of course, incorporating both elements is key to racking up points quickly and ending the game.
I discovered pretty quickly that the silliest sounding answer is often the right choice, and tweaked my suggestions and choices accordingly to match. Then again, I’ve also been Psych!ed by answers that seemed too ludicrous to be thought up by people I know – only to be proven dead wrong. As a friend boasted when he steamrolled our first game, it’s all about getting creative.
Give Psych! a go with friends if you’re up for some quick fun, especially if you’re in a group and have some time to kill before a movie or meal. It’s totally free aside from some IAP category unlocks, and once people start picking the wrong answers, you’ll end up with lots of inside jokes to tell.
