Throughout the past decade or so, online games have come and gone, adjusting to the times and current generational interests. There was 2019’s nostalgic Minecraft resurgence, 2020’s embarrassing infatuation with Among Us due to quarantine-boredom, and now 2024’s obsession with an online Roblox game called Dress to Impress. Dress To Impress, also known as DTI, is a multiplayer competitive fashion game where users receive a theme such as “snow day” or “pastel goth,” and have to conform to it with the given items, all under a 5 minute timer. There is a set amount of items you can use with adjustable aspects such as the color and pattern of the clothing. After making an outfit that fits or references the theme, users then go through the fashion show portion of the round, where you must rate each outfit individually from a scale of one to five stars. Everyone gets a chance to be looked at alone, where they can pose and say any necessary notes. After all of the votes are tallied, the top three winners are displayed on a pedestal for everyone to see. It is a very simple yet successful quick form of entertainment which has garnered the most visits on the Roblox website in years.
Sure, in concept this game sounds fairly cool, but it is not immediately obvious why it gained the popularity it did in such a short amount of time. What exactly makes it stand out in a time where media is forgotten almost quicker than it is created. Like many things, Dress To Impress’ unmatched popularity is directly correlated to its growing presence on TikTok. Trends such as doing poses from the display section along with DTI music has become quite popular recently. Shared experience is a big reason why videos about DTI are pushed on the TikTok algorithm. Because anyone who plays can relate to the frustrations of not winning or disliking a theme, users interact with the content and share the videos with their friends, which boosts the video. Another big factor to its success is that the game is not exactly skill based, it more has to do with one’s creativity. This prevents newer players from being too intimidated by frustrating gameplay. The last major factor we cannot ignore is the new ‘Brat’ update; a collaboration with alt pop singer Charli XCX, used to promote her new album. In this album, new items were added along with poses and coloration. This update massively increased the game’s publicity, with the Brat album reaching a number three on the top 100 billboard. Overall, Dress to Impress is a game that rewards creativity, uniqueness, and collaboration, which is why I personally love it, along with the rest of the users.