In an era where our phones have become extensions of our hands and our attention spans have been whittled down to the length of a TikTok video, there’s something remarkably comforting about learning that Barack Obama, former leader of the free world, spends his digital downtime playing Words With Friends. Not the latest hyper-casual game designed to trigger dopamine hits every three seconds, not a battle royale shooter, but a thoughtful, turn-based word game that requires patience, strategy, and most importantly, connection. This revelation, shared on Marc Maron’s podcast, feels like a quiet rebellion against the frantic pace of modern digital life.
What’s particularly telling isn’t just the game Obama chooses, but why he plays it. He maintains his friendship with former White House photographer Pete Souza through these digital word battles, turning what could be mindless entertainment into meaningful connection. Imagine the former president, whether in the middle of policy discussions or international negotiations, hearing that familiar ping and wondering what word Souza has played. There’s something beautifully human about this image—the leader who once made world-altering decisions now pausing to consider whether “QUIXOTIC” will fit on a triple-word score. It suggests that even at the highest levels of power and responsibility, we all crave those small moments of personal connection.
The choice of Words With Friends over more contemporary word games like Wordle or Connections speaks volumes about Obama’s approach to technology and relationships. While Wordle offers a quick daily hit of satisfaction that’s over in minutes, Words With Friends creates an ongoing conversation—a digital thread that connects two people across time and space. Each move becomes a message, each high-scoring word a small victory to be shared. This isn’t gaming for gaming’s sake; it’s gaming as a medium for maintaining bonds that might otherwise fray with distance and busy schedules.
There’s also something to be said about the game’s pace in our instant-gratification culture. In a world where we expect immediate responses to texts and emails, Words With Friends forces a slower rhythm. You make your move, then wait—sometimes hours, sometimes days—for your friend to respond. This asynchronous play creates space for thoughtfulness, for considering not just your next word but your connection to the person on the other side. It’s a digital version of the handwritten letters our grandparents might have exchanged, where the delay between sending and receiving was part of the experience rather than a frustration.
Obama’s gaming preference reveals something fundamental about how we navigate friendship in the digital age. We often worry that technology isolates us, that screens come between genuine human connection. But here we have a former president using that same technology to sustain a meaningful relationship. The game becomes the excuse, the structure, the shared activity that keeps the friendship alive when life gets complicated. It’s not about the points or the victory; it’s about having a reason to regularly touch base with someone who matters.
Perhaps the most profound lesson from Obama’s Words With Friends habit is that in our search for connection, sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective. We don’t need elaborate social media platforms or complex communication systems to maintain important relationships. Sometimes all we need is a shared activity, a common interest, and the willingness to make time for each other, even if that time comes in the form of playing a word on a digital board between meetings or during a quiet moment. In an increasingly fragmented world, maybe the real victory isn’t scoring the most points, but simply staying in the game with the people who matter most.
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