eSketch®

eSketch® Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is eSketch®? #

eSketch is a fast paced drawing and guessing game.

How do I play eSketch® and what are the rules? #

  • Join a room by clicking a room name (Easy, Hard etc), you'll be joined by other users who chose the same room category as you, up to the room maximum of 10 users per room.
  • You can join as a registered user, with your own username, or as a guest, where your username will be picked at random.
  • As soon as someone is in a room, the game begins! If there are already users in the room, you can start earning points immediately by guessing what's being sketched.
  • Each round begins with a user being choosing to be the sketcher. The user chosen is presented with 3 possible random word options. They must choose one of the words to begin sketching - they must choose quickly, or they'll miss their turn to sketch and someone else will be chosen!
  • The sketcher earns points for every user that guesses correctly and the other users can earn points by correctly guessing the word that is being sketched.
  • When the first user guesses the word correctly, the time allowed to sketch is reduced to 20 seconds.
  • When the sketching time is up, the word is revealed to all and another sketcher is chosen.
  • After 10 rounds of drawing and sketching, the winner is revealed with a fantastic firework show where users can 'clap' to show their appreciation to the new winner!
  • Anyone who stays in the room can join for the next session. All user scores are reset and the fun starts again!

You can find the rules of the game here

Can I invite others to play? #

When you're connected and playing eSketch, click the person icon in the top right. You can either allow a friend to copy the QR code, or you can copy the URL and send it to a friend. The link will allow your invitees to join the same room as you, but if the room is already full up to the maximum they will need to wait for space or join another room.

How can I earn points? #

You can earn points by guessing the word being sketched correctly as well as when other users guess the word you are sketching correctly. The more correct guesses, the more points!

Guest users lose their points at the end of each game session. Points for registered users are accrued in their account for others to see.

What is a "room" and what rooms are there? #

All games take place in rooms. A room is a single session of eSketch® that is being played up to a maximum of 10 players, a room has a specific dictionary of words for users to sketch. You may move from one room to another by leaving a room and joining another and be matched automatically with other users who also want to play with the same dictionary as you.

'Easy' room - Words/phrases that are easier side to spell, sketch or both.

'Hard' room - Words/phrases that are on the more difficult side to spell, sketch or both.

Can I make the chat/guesses full screen? #

We believe that chatting and guessing is as much fun as the sketching! So if you want to dive in deeper and see what people are saying, you can click the round 'fullscreen chat' button to quickly switch between stowed and full screen chat mode. You can still see what's happening in the game in the background and you can still guess when in full screen mode, but you'll need to make the chat stowed again to continue playing (choose a word to sketch, to sketch etc).

How long do I have to sketch the word? #

When it's your turn to sketch, you'll have 60 seconds to sketch the word so that others can guess it. Once someone has correctly guessed the word the allowed time reduces to 20 seconds!

How do I block another eSketcher? #

It is possible to block a user when you are in the same room as them by clicking on their name on the scoreboard (either at the bottom in mobile, or on the right side on desktop), this will display a popup containing the user's profile. From here you can click the 'Block user' button. If the user is already blocked, the button will read 'Unblock user'.

Please bear in mind that because users can join as guests and don't necessarily have to register to play, if you block a guest user this is only likely to be temporary. A block for a registered user will be permanent and is stored against your user account.

What does blocking a user do? #

When you block a user, you will no longer see the user's messages in the chat and guess section. Due to the nature of how the game works, this will not prevent you from seeing the person's name in the scoreboard, nor will you stop being able to view their drawing when they are up to draw - because you'll still need to guess their drawing.

Someone is harassing me or annoying me, what can I do? #

The best way to deal with a user that is annoying or harassing is to block the user and/or leave the room. See How do I block another eSketcher?

Is there a flood fill when drawing? #

We're considering this as a feature in the future, but at the moment it is not possible to flood fill when drawing.

Can I pick my own username instead of having the username like 'eSketcherNUMBER'? #

You certainly can! Guest users have their usernames picked at random, but registered users can choose their own permanent username.

What are the benefits of being a registered user? #

You can pick your own username, collect points and permanently block users.

Which languages are supported? #

Currently English only, but we are looking to expand into other languages soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

Can I create my own private room? #

At the moment we work on a matchmaking system that is public and open to all. Currently private lobbies/rooms are not something that we support.

What happens if I break the rules? #

We want to foster a great place to draw and sketch, so if you break the rules, you may have points removed from your current session, your account, be kicked from the room you are in or be banned entirely.

What is the point of sending a 'clap' when someone wins? #

It's a bit of fun to make the winner feel good.

Last updated date: 8th June 2024