55/100
Players33 ratings

Where to get it

2007 · Quiz

Akinator

Akinator, the Web Genie (formerly Akinator, the web Genius) is an internet game and mobile app based on Twenty Questions that attempts to determine which character the player is thinking of by asking them a series of questions. It is an artificial intelligence program that can find and learn the best questions to ask the player. Created by three French programmers in 2007, it became popular worldwide in November 2008, according to Google Trends. In Europe popularity peak was reached in 2009 and Japan in 2010 with the launch of mobile apps by French mobile company SCIMOB, reaching highest ranks on app store . While playing "Akinator", questions are asked by a cartoon genie.

Released: 2007
Platforms: Android BlackBerry Browser Linux Windows iOS macOS
Genres: Quiz
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Text
Country: France
Languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian and 2 more

About

Akinator is a video game developed by the French company Elokence. During gameplay, it attempts to determine what media or real-life character, object, or animal the player is thinking of by asking a series of questions (similar to the game Twenty Questions). The system learns the best questions to ask through experience from past players. Implementation details are not shared but they fall in the field of statistical classification or expert systems.

Keywords

freeware
artificial intelligence
digital distribution
genie
customizable characters

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Before beginning the questionnaire, the players must think of a character, object, film, or animal. Akinator initiates a series of questions, with "Yes," "No," "Probably," "Probably not," and "Don't know" as possible answers, to narrow down the potential item. If the answer is narrowed down to a single likely option before 25 questions are asked, the program will automatically ask whether the item it chose is correct. If it is guessed wrong a few times in a row, the game will prompt the user to input the item's name to expand its database of choices.

The game is based on the Limule program made by Elokence, and runs on an internally designed algorithm.

Reception

L'Express rated Akinator a 5 out of 5 on their list of iPhone Apps of the Week for September 9, 2009. Excite France called the game "revolutionary, attractive, and entertaining."