TableNight/Games/Thumbs
Reflexes · One phone only · 5–20 minutes
Thumbs
Thirteen challenges of a few seconds each on a single phone. Tap the moment the screen turns green, stop the clock at exactly five seconds without seeing it, repeat a sequence of colours that keeps growing: the phone changes hands and the scores update after every challenge.
What Thumbs is
Thumbs is the game for when you have ten minutes and a phone. There is nothing to prepare and nothing long to explain: before each challenge the screen says what to do in one sentence, the player taps “I'm ready”, and a few seconds later the phone goes to the next person.
The game measures different things. One challenge rewards reflexes, another memory, another your sense of time, another your ability not to be fooled by a word. That is why the scores keep shuffling: someone unbeatable at Reflex can collapse at Sequence, and the five-second challenge tends to go to whoever looked least likely to win it.
Along with Waterbomb it is the only game on the site that asks for nothing but a phone. The two are different, though: Waterbomb is a word game for everyone at once in a circle, while Thumbs is a contest in turns where the others watch and cheer, or try to put you off.
In short: whoever opens the game types the names, picks how many challenges to play and hands over the phone. The screen does the explaining.
Game sheet
| Players | 2 to 8. It plays well with two; above eight the wait between turns gets long. |
|---|---|
| Length | 5–20 minutes, depending on people and number of challenges. |
| Suggested age | 6 and up. |
| What you need | One phone. A tablet works too. |
| Challenges | Thirteen, in random order. Pick three, six, nine or all thirteen. |
| Language | Italian and English, switched with a tap. |
| Sign-up | None. The names stay on the phone. |
| Price | Free, with no in-app purchases. |
The thirteen challenges
Reflex
The screen is red. After a random wait of between one and a half and four and a half seconds it turns green, and the fastest tap wins. Tap while it is still red and it is a false start, worth zero.
Burst
Five seconds to tap the button as many times as you can. The clock starts on the first tap. Highest number wins, and yes, you can use two fingers.
Five seconds
Press to start and press again when you think exactly five seconds have passed. You cannot see the timer. When you stop it, the screen shows where you stopped and how far off you were: the closest wins. Counting aloud is legal, but the others may talk over you.
Sequence
Four coloured squares light up in a certain order, and you repeat it. You start with three colours and one is added each round until you slip. The longest sequence wins.
Targets
Ten targets appear one at a time in different spots on the screen. The clock starts on the first tap and stops on the tenth. The lowest time wins.
True colour
The name of a colour appears printed in a different colour: the word “YELLOW” in green, for example. You tap the colour of the ink, not the word, for fifteen seconds. Each right answer scores a point and each mistake takes one away. It looks easy until you try it: this is a well-known effect in psychology, and reading is more automatic than you think.
Quick count
A grid of dots appears for one second and vanishes. You tap how many there were, choosing from four numbers. There are six rounds, and the dots increase. The most right answers wins: there is no time to count them one by one, so you have to judge at a glance.
Fast maths
Twenty seconds of additions, subtractions and times tables, with four results to choose from. Each right answer scores a point and each mistake takes one away, so guessing does not pay.
Odd one out
A grid of identical tiles, except one in a slightly different shade. There are seven grids, ever denser and with an ever subtler difference. Your total time counts, and each wrong tap adds a second and a half.
Dead centre
A marker runs back and forth along a track, and you stop it in the middle zone. There are five shots, each faster than the last, worth up to twenty points each. The closer to the centre, the more you score.
Fill line
Hold down and the level rises; let go and it stops. The aim is to finish just below the orange line without passing it: go over and that shot scores zero. The line and the speed change on each of the three shots.
In order
Twelve numbers shuffled in a grid, to tap from 1 to 12. The lowest time wins. It sounds trivial, but finding the next number while your finger is already moving is harder than it looks.
Greens only
For fifteen seconds green and red circles light up, faster and faster. Each green you tap scores a point, each red takes two away. The winner is whoever keeps a cool head as the pace rises.
Scoring
After each challenge the results are ranked. First place scores as many points as there are players, second one fewer, and so on down to last place, which scores one. Equal results score the same, and a miss scores zero. With five players, then, a win is worth five points. After the last challenge the highest total wins, and you can ask for a rematch straight away with the same names.
Tips for your first game
- Start with six challenges. That is the default: enough to shuffle the scores, not enough to tire anyone.
- Hold the phone in your hand, not flat on the table. For Burst and Targets it makes a big difference.
- Leave the sound on. The Reflex signal and the Sequence notes help, and it is more fun to watch.
- Agree beforehand whether heckling is allowed. Talking over someone counting five seconds is the best moment of the evening, but it should be agreed.
Mistakes that ruin the game
- Playing with low screen brightness. The Reflex green is harder to see and the True Colour shades blur together.
- Watching the previous player's Sequence. Each person gets a different one, so it is no advantage. It only makes you nervous.
- Too many players. Eight people and six challenges means forty-eight turns. In a big group pick three challenges, or try Waterbomb, where everyone plays at once.
Where a game like this comes from
Reflex tests, sequences to repeat and the colour-name exercise are classics that long predate smartphones; the colour one comes from psychology research in the 1930s. Thumbs puts these generic mechanics together in a group format. The scoring, interface, text and code are original.
Frequently asked questions about Thumbs
How many phones do you need to play Thumbs?
Just one. It changes hands and everyone does the same challenge, one person at a time. There are no rooms and no codes.
How long does a game take?
Between 5 and 20 minutes, depending on how many of you there are and how many challenges you pick: three, six, nine or all thirteen.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. After the first opening the game stays in the browser and starts with no connection. You can also add it to your phone's home screen.
Can you play alone?
The game asks for at least two names, because the score comes from comparing results. To practise, enter your own name twice and take yourself on.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes, from about 6. There is no difficult text, except True Colour, which needs confident reading.
What happens if I tap too early in Reflex?
It is a false start: the result counts as a miss and you score zero in that challenge.