Published June 3, 2024
BY NICOLE MIRSKI
Since The New York Times added games to their website, many have become addicted to the quick and easy enjoyment they provide. With the start of summer approaching, the era of playing these games during class is ending, so let’s reminisce on the best games to play during some downtime.
(courtesy of THE NEW YORK TIMES)
- Letter Boxed
Playing this is similar to the feeling you get when watching paint dry: It’s slow and boring. In a game where 12 letters are arranged in a box–you can’t use letters on the same side, and you can only use each letter once–there aren’t nearly enough vowels for Letter Boxed to be intellectually stimulating.
- Vertex
While it can be interesting for a couple minutes, Vertex quickly seems to depict a children’s mobile game of connecting the dots. Without daily challenges, it lacks surprise, and when completed, it brings you to another similar, repetitive pattern, kind of what I imagine an insane asylum to feel like.
- Sudoku
The New York Times provides an option to play the classic game for free online, but besides that, it doesn’t offer anything innovative. This numbers game can be enjoyable, but it’s difficult to find the time to designate towards it, especially when there are much better games out there.
- Spelling Bee
Finding different words using seven letters can be fun, but Spelling Bee isn’t a game that can be completed shortly, or even completed at all. After spending hours to find a 12-letter word, I still don’t feel I’ve accomplished anything worthwhile.
- Tiles
Although it can lead to major headaches, Tiles, a game where you need to find similar elements among different boxes, is actually quite fun once you ignore the blaring bright colors. Since there doesn’t seem to be any real strategy, it can be good for a prompt-pleasing time.
- Wordle
A fan favorite and catalyst for the surge in players for the website, Wordle provides a daily challenge of finding a five-letter word that many anticipate, but repetitiveness and obscure answers can lead to anger and frustration. Overall, Wordle is a go-to when it comes to downtime during class.
- Strands
Being the newest addition to the website, still in beta mode, Strands places a fun twist on the traditional word search. Although clues can be misleading, the hint option makes Strands available for anyone at any experience level.
- Connections
One of the more controversial games is Connections due to the wild and unhinged groups created. For example, a category was “words beginning with body parts” that included handsome, hippo, legend and lipid, which otherwise have no tie. Despite this, Connections is still one of the best because of its ability to cause players to think deeper.
- Mini Crossword
Since its debut in 2014, this game has maintained its status as a top-tier game because of its quick completion time and variety of topics that can appeal to many audiences across a maximum of 10 clues. Though it can be infuriating at times, the pride of finishing within a minute trumps all.
