

“I’m not the first person to start, but I saw a lack of authenticity in other games,” she says. People tuning into the game as audience members can see every interaction that takes place - whether it’s flirting, forming an alliance or or just friendly bonding - and talk to each other in the audience chat. Cardona’s server, dubbed “The Circle,” allows players to chat amongst themselves as a group within designated timeframes and one-on-one or within smaller groups whenever they want - just like on the show. Laura Cardona, who is currently hosting an online Circle game on the chat service Discord, tells TIME that her goal was to make the experience as authentic as possible.


But without a major cash prize at stake, real connections between players are even more feasible. When it comes to online versions of The Circle, there are some limitations that the show doesn’t contend with - a major one being that the people playing are still living their regular lives in the midst of the game. There was a lot of truth to these genuine connections.” “Sammie - we had a great chat about feeling like we were on the outside. “Joey and I differed in almost every way, but complemented each other,” Goel told TIME in a January interview.
