There’s A New Version Of Scrabble For Those Who Found The Original 'Intimidating'

It shouldn't come as much of a shock that Gen Z isn't exactly the most competitive generation to ever come along, but now it seems that even Scrabble is a bit too much for them.

For the first time in three-quarters of a century (that's 75 years to the layperson) Scrabble is changing things up in a big way, and it's all reportedly because Gen Zers found the old version to be just too competitive for their liking.

The new version features a double-sided board with the original version of the game on one side and a "less-competitive" version on the other if you're too butter-soft to handle the original.

It's called "Scrabble Together" — as opposed to the old version that everyone played alone, like solitaire — and it'll feature cards to help players out and lets players play in teams (which I thought you could always do. It's not like the Scrabble police would arrest you if you teamed up with someone).

British Scrabble president Gyles Brandreth (what a title), was all about this new game for people scared of the original Scrabble.

"The makers of Scrabble found that younger people, Gen Z people, don’t quite like the competitive nature of Scrabble," Brandreth told BBC Radio 4 "They want a game where you can simply enjoy language, words, being together and having fun creating words."

Look, if I can't rub someone's nose in my triple-word score for the word "QUAKY" (63 points, son) I want nothing to do with it.

A Scrabble board (sorry if you find this intimidating). (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

New Version Of Scrabble Caters To Those Intimidated By The Original

I have no problem with things changing, but I'm weirded out that the next generation finds Scrabble daunting.

"Scrabble has truly stood the test of time as one of the most popular board games in history, and we want to ensure the game continues to be inclusive for all players," Ray Adler, vice president, global head of games for Mattel, told The New York Post. "For anyone who’s ever thought ‘word games aren’t for me’, or felt a little intimidated by the classic game, Scrabble Together mode is an ideal option."

Never in my life did I think I'd see "Scrabble" and "Intimidated" in the same sentence, but welcome to 2024.

If you're intimidated by a board game — with the notable exception of Perfection because of the popping or old versions of Operation because of the loud buzzer — that's incredibly embarrassing.

You sit down, you spell some words, and you add up your points! That's it. 

Not everyone can rip words with Qs and Xs like us smart folk (QUIXOTIC. 28 points). So, then how about picking up a book instead of scrolling TikTok, and then maybe you won't need training wheels to play Scrabble!?

Jeez… where's the Tylenol?!