Digging into the Technical Background of Pointer Pointer

For real-time communication between user and server, the website of the game used Web Sockets. The algorithm was primarily based on Bayesian statistics. It used a model that was a model of user behavior. The model predicted the cursor movements which were then analyzed and the final result was given in the form of a pointer. Despite all these basic working mechanisms, the original code behind the website was never disclosed. It added a mysterious charm to the website.

Difference between Original and Currently Existing Pointer Pointer

The working of both games is similar. However, there is a difference in the presentation of the result. In the native version, the second pointer used to be a disembodied hand that moved in whatever direction you moved the cursor. But in the current version, each time you move the cursor, loading occurs for some time and a picture appears in the background. This picture does not move. It loads again and again every time you move the cursor and a new picture appears.

The Unique Idea Behind Pointer Pointer

According to the pioneer himself, Pointer Pointer was quite a unique game. Puckey said that normally for doing something or allowing something to happen, we have to do work or we need to move. But in Pointer Pointer, we have to pause and do nothing for the magic to happen. Initially, the reaction time of Pointer Pointer was at the speed of lightning. But then the founders introduced a delay to make the users pause and wait. It somehow made sense of the unique idea behind the game: doing nothing to let something happen. It was indeed an innovative idea.

The Social Impact

Despite its extreme popularity, Pointer Pointer also raised some privacy concerns among users. It sparked the privacy debates about user tracking. Also, people started to question the nature of human-computer interaction. The project showed how powerful an online unexpected and simple tool can be to draw massive attention across the globe. It got so popular that even news articles were being written on it. People did TV shows and statistical studies were done for its social impact. 

Closing Remarks!

Pointer Pointer is a once extremely popular web game that was originally a part of another project. Although it is unique and simple, it is also addicting and people refer to it more as a ‘time waster’. While a lot of people still use it for fun, a lot of others avoid it for privacy concerns. On the contrary, some people do not even know about the existence of such a game. In a nutshell, people hold different stances about this web game. The popularity is not as much as it was at the time of release, but the game and idea themselves are still innovative with a mystique.