If someone mentions the New York Times chances are you think of a reputable news publication that’s been functioning for over a century. But tens of millions tune in every day for something other than news: puzzles.
The New York Times Crossword has been a feature of the publication’s print since 1942, used to break up the hustle and bustle of weekly news with something fun and challenging. The Crossword was the only game The New York Times featured until 2014 when its little sister, the Mini Crossword was introduced. Since then, more mini-puzzle games have followed creating a wide catalog on their website and even a separate app.
Games like Wordle, Connections, Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, and more are all games on the New York Times website that are updated daily. As they are puzzles the principles of the games stay the same just with different words, letters, or clues depending on which you are solving. Because most of these games you can only play once a day it limits the amount of time you use up when playing. This guarantees a short 5-minute break instead of the whole class period.
Puzzles are a great way to exercise the mind, according to ProgressLifeline.org, “Puzzles increase the production of dopamine, a chemical that regulates mood, memory, and concentration. Dopamine is released with every success as we solve the puzzle”. Being able to stimulate your brain and boost your mood during a school day by completing short puzzles is a great way to increase your productivity.
Unlike New York Times articles, playing games on their website does not require an account or subscription. Not having a paywall makes the games accessible to everyone who wants to play them. Subscribing to the New York Times does give you access to a few more features of the puzzles such as the Wordle archive (the ability to play or replay any past Wordles), Zen mode on the Tiles game, and more. But when it comes down to the basics you can play each game at least once without paying anything.
If you are a student using a school account or Chromebook you might be familiar with certain websites or apps being blocked. Online gaming websites are a huge target for this wall, as to not let students distract themselves while working on school work. But fortunately, these games aren’t blocked. This makes taking a second out of your day to complete one of the games easy and reliable.
There are a total of 9 different games and puzzles that the New York Times has on their website and app. Those are Wordle, Connections, Crossword, Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, Strands, Tiles, Letter Box, and Sudoku. This creates a wide catalog of games to pick from and try out, so even if you find you don’t enjoy one there are still plenty of others to choose from.
Overall if you’re looking for a break or something to do and you’re not sure what, the New York Times games might be a good option. From searching for the common thread in Connections to untangling the words in Strands there is a lot to check out.
