Growing up, I often walked out of my bedroom in the morning to find my Dad sitting at the dining room table, playing the weekly crossword puzzle in the Tampa Bay Times. As a child, I enjoyed looking over his shoulder to find clues that I could help to solve. However, I was rarely successful. Similar to many of my peers at the time, I’d much rather log on to Cool Math Games to serve my Papa’s Freezeria customers.
It wasn’t until I graduated to new fixations to pass the time in my boring high school classes that I discovered Wordle. My friends and I obsessed over texting each other with our game stats, competing to be the quickest solver. We quickly realized that the New York Times website offers not only Wordle but a plethora of games.
Not only did the New York Times games gain traction within my social circle, but they’ve also captured the attention of news consumers and social media users. Competing to have the lowest Wordle guess count or a perfect Connections board has become a trending activity.
What I love most about my favorite pastime’s rising popularity is that it creates shared experiences. Bonding with people through a screen (even people across the country!) is rare to come by. Even when I play the games by myself, I can always expect to open TikTok to find that the competition is omnipresent.
Today, my New York Times game addictions consist of a handful of games, each with its own unique rules and objectives. I look forward to my daily sessions where my friends and I race to complete them. This past summer break, I found myself craving the collaboration and competition of playing, so I did what any college student home from school would: I recruited my parents to fill their shoes.
When I think back to Christmas in my childhood, I remember my Mom gifting my Dad crossword puzzle books, thinking she struck the jackpot of personalized gifts. What stuck out to me the most about this gift giving is that, while grateful for the thoughtfulness, my Dad never became addicted to playing the crosswords in the books the same way that he was with those in the newspaper.
I’ve realized this novelty parallels the limited opportunities to play New York Times games only once a day. This element in particular is what keeps people of all ages waiting for the next chance to win, especially my parents, who have become my toughest competition.
Playing these games has become more than just a daily habit, but a bonding activity. At large, the New York Times games present the perfect blend between online games that appeal to Gen Z and mentally engaging activities that capture the attention of older generations.
While I enjoy playing many of the New York Times games, the Mini Crossword has to be my Dad’s and my favorite. This game above all incorporates both Gen Z pop culture facts as well as clues that require knowledge about world history and grammar nuances, all amalgamating to a grid-lined puzzle. These games have reminded me that niche pastimes can change the world, or some may say, the Wordle!
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