Occasionally, you come across a concept on Kickstarter that is so intriguing it begs you to take a closer look – thus, when the guys who created Sing That Word drew their campaign to our attention, we had to check it out. With us both being huge fans of music (my taste is better…obviously), and always being on the market for a new party game, Sing That Word piqued our interest in more ways than one.

Sing That Word

Introducing Sing That Word

Sing That Word is a game that could easily be described as the gamification of a concept. The idea is that there is a deck of cards, with each card having a word on it as well as a number. Your job is to then sing a few lines to a song that comes into your head with the word in it. So, if the word is “Sweet” then I might sing:

“Sweet home Alabama, where the skies are so blue.”

Then, since I managed to sing the word in a song I would gain a “Mic” card. It would then go around the group, each person singing a song that contains the word, and getting a “Mic” card for every successful time they come up with a song. So, one person might sing Sweet Child of Mine, another may sing Sweet Caroline, another may sing “I don’t need no cure – sweet lovin’, sweet, sweet love” from the 1975 Diana Ross hit Love Hangover. You get the idea. Each time song lyrics are sung containing the word, the person who sung it gets a Mic card.

You only need to sing a couple of lines from a song for it to count, and once everyone has had a go it goes around again, until no one can think of a song for that word. Then, the person with the most Mic cards wins the round and gets the card. They get the points equal to the number on the card.

Once one player gets to 7 points, the game is over for they have won, and everyone applauds the music knowledge of the winner.

Sing That Word card examples.

Sing That Word: A Singing Party Game

What Sing That Word does is position itself as a singing game for people who can’t necessarily sing. I’ve actually been speaking with Christopher Virgil, one of the team at Sing That Word, to find out a bit more about the game and the thought process behind it. When I asked him what it was about Sing That Word that made the game unique, he responded:

Sing That Word is unique because it’s geared towards people who love music, but don’t have to be musically talented. Even though singing is the main thing you do, you’re not graded or judged on your ability to sing, but rather your ability to recall song lyrics.

It’s a simple concept, and one that is incredibly accessible and easy to grasp.

Sing That Word has been brought to Kickstarter by a team of four people. The idea initially came from the notion of gamifying a concept by one of the co-founders of Sing That Word,  Jennifer Williams. Jennifer played the base idea of the game with family and friends, only without the official cards, before playing it with Zack Pennington. Together, Jennifer and Zack, with fellow enthusiasts Eric Littleton and Christopher Virgil, decided to make the game official by creating cards and rules earlier in 2019.

Now, Sing That Word is an official game and on Kickstarter with a very simple goal – to be fun.

Sing That Word cards.

Where does Sing That Word fit in the board game ecosystem?

Ever since discovering Sing That Word, watching the video, reading the website, and talking to the team, I’ve been trying to understand where Sing That Word fits within the wider board game market.

First thing first, Sing That Word is either a party game or a filler game. What we mean by this is that we imagine it to be good for large groups of people, good with a few drinks, or good for putting between two larger games in a board game evening. It is not a game that we would necessarily choose to take to a crunchy board game night, as those kinds of nights have a more serious feel. We wouldn’t, for instance, put it between games like Gloomhaven, Twilight Imperium, or Trickerion. That being said, it is a game we would happily take to a lighter evening with family or friends.

I really think games like Sing That Word have a place with larger sets of people who want a humourous group experience. Akin to games like Cards Against Humanity, it is one of those games where it isn’t so much the winning, but rather the taking part that counts – one of those games where it is more about the people you play it with rather than actually scoring the points.

We know a fair number of people involved in amateur dramatics or musical theatre societies and this game would be absolutely perfect for them.

Sing That Word comes across as a family friendly experience. It is a game that anyone can learn, that anyone can play, and that should be easy to enjoy. What is more, there are rules variations allowing for everything from team play to rap battles. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Sing That Word

Why Sing That Word piqued our interest

At the start of this article, I told you that Sing That Word piqued our interest for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the video is really quirky. We enjoyed just watching that, yet alone learning about the game in it. Unfortunately, I can’t embed the Kickstarter video – but you can view it here.

Secondly, it is because, knowing who we know, we can imagine the ideal people to play it with, and know they would love it.

Thirdly, Sing That Word has one of the strangest and most bizarre rewards we have ever seen on Kickstarter. As well as the expansion, there are t-shirts, windbreakers, and -and this is where it not only goes outside the box but puts the box in an entirely different galaxy – the option to become the executive producer of a “Rockumentary” they want to make about Dwayne Johnson.

Lastly, Sing That Word seems like wholesome fun. It can be the premise for a lighthearted evening, especially between music lovers, and there is a space for that in the party game market.

So, there you have it – a brief introduction to Sing That Word. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below – alternatively you can check out the Kickstarter by clicking on the link.

Check out Sing That Word on Kickstarter

I would like to thank Christopher Virgil from Sing That Word for taking the time to chat to me via email, and sending me images to use in this article.

Published by Luke

Board game nerd, comic book geek, Rubik's Cube solver, Splendor player, and Blogger. View all posts by Luke