If you search for “party app,” you’ll end up in a world where every other card requires a sip. This is a historical default from the 2010s that shaped the entire category. We decided early on that piparo.party would not adopt this default. Here's why.
1. You don't know who's sitting at the table
The 17-year-old little brother has a housewarming party. The pregnant maid of honor is having a bachelorette party. It's a birthday for the aunt, who has been sober for three years. Any round that requires “drink now” as a default subtly excludes these people or forces them to explain themselves to the group. With the 12+ default, piparo.party goes into every round without anyone having to pass.
2. The App Stores classify more strictly than before
Apple and Google have tightened age ratings in recent years. Apps that have alcohol prompts as a core mechanic land in App Store at 17+. This means they are not recommended for younger target groups and cannot be recommended in schools or family settings. piparo.party is classified 12+ and is therefore visible everywhere.
3. You need games that work without alcohol
Truth or Dare works matter-of-factly. Werewolves works soberly. Impostor, Charades, Bomb Party, 10/10, Who Would Rather: all work sober. The only game genre that hardly works without alcohol is the “drink if” mechanic. We leave out the genre entirely and gain a variety of games: 25 games, seven of which are real social games (Werewolves, Impostor, Who's Lying?, Taboom, Word Rush, Bet Buddy, Fake or Fact), not just card prompts.
4. The action remains open
When onboarding, you choose a default action: push-ups, singing, 1 euro in the cash register, or sip. “Sip” is an option, but never the default. The idea behind it: the app remains neutral, you decide for yourself what the consequence is for you. A shared apartment with a cash register might choose euros, a sporty group might choose push-ups.
5. The characters don't need swallowing jokes
The 16 characters in the cast have personality, not alcohol. Zayn is self-deprecating. Yuki is deadpan. Rio is charismatic. This scale works in every round because it does not depend on a substance. This makes the app's identification layer more resilient: your character works the same way during a pre-drink as it does at a summer picnic.