PlaceMates (Web App)

Tools & Technologies

Project Overview

I wanted to capitalize on the "five-minute daily game" format popularized by Wordle; there was something so valuable in the way it got people to share their results with friends but still the social aspect of those games was untapped. Sharing scores usually just meant comparing results, bragging and saying "I did better than you" or whining that you got unlucky. I wanted to build off of this format and create a game which was just as approachable to do daily as Wordle, but fostered real social connection.

This lead to creating PlaceMates. It's a daily web game where you place your friends on a 2x2 chart defined by silly, subjective axes. You get points for how well you know your friends and the scoring logic is simple: you get more points based on how close your placement of a friend is to where they placed themselves. But the real value isn't the points; it's the debate and banter that happens afterwards. I leaned into this by programming dynamic "superlatives" that analyze the data to call people out—like flagging a friend who placed themself WAY differently than the group sees them.

I eventually expanded the project to include a "Party Mode" for synchronous, live play, which allows for different axis packs like Hot Takes or NSFW topics. I built the application as a full-stack project using Svelte for the UI and Firebase for real-time database storage. I even integrated Stripe to handle payments for premium axis packs, turning a passion project into something with real monetization potential.

The game is fully functional and playable now at PlaceMates.us