DISCLAIMER: Unpublished does not endorse playing NYT mini games during lessons, or any other unsuitable time. Our team advises our viewers to reflect over the ICT code of conduct, enthusiastically signed on their first day of Year 7, before proceeding to read this article.
A staple in the browsers of students worldwide, the New York Times mini games can always be trusted to wait patiently in your search bar history for your time of need. Whether that’s for procrastination, a study break, or maybe even plain entertainment - though the norm is to get as far away from your school iPad as humanly possible when your work is done, lest it bring up any unsavoury revision memories. Of course, an Unpublished article is never fully complete without some level of psychological analysis of our audience, although this may come across as judgement, or even criticism, to the untrained eye. Therefore, please enjoy this probably-too-deep dive into the most notable NYT mini games.
Wordle:
Starting off with a classic, the characters of those who reach for the wordle first are truly a double-edged sword - one on hand, the wordle is the obvious first choice of many presented to the idle site visitor. Maybe the feeling of intelligence that comes with solving the wordle can even motivate some people to actually begin their work, saving them from the temptation of the other NYT games. On the other hand, solving the wordle brings a fair amount of power, especially if it is solved early on in the day. For 24 hours, a random five letter word is thrust both into the limelight, but also a certain level of taboo until the game resets. Giving away the wordle prematurely is an unforgivable evil - that can ruin even the strongest friendships. Unless, of course, you would rather simply type in the wordle, awarding yourself an (undeserved) perfect score. Would the giver or receiver of the answer be worse, in that scenario? A question that is sure to arise in philosophy GCSE papers of the future…
Sudoku:
The sudoku is an underrated classic among the NYT mini games. Some of you may shy away from the sudoku, with the subpar excuse of it “just being maths”. It is alarming to find out the number of godolphin students who apparently have difficulty counting to ten (and reading the seven-word slogan) - unless, of course, you are trying to do the hard sudoku, which even such an experienced puzzler such as myself can get so stuck on I actually switch to my school work.
Admittedly, I may be slightly biassed, as this was the first minigame I ever encountered on the website. In my naivety, I excitedly completed the sudoku in my cover lesson, and faced true karma for breaching the ICT code of conduct when I heard the jingle that comes with finishing the puzzle ring out for the first time alongside the rest of my Year 8 Spanish class. The cheerful tune definitely did not get its proper appreciation from my peers, but at least I learnt to keep my volume down afterwards.
Mini crossword:
In order to truly enjoy the mini crossword, you have to be one with its instability. This game is the ultimate lesson in never underestimating anything: though it may be mini (sorry), the variation in difficulty between each day is enough to make anybody go insane. My times of completion have ranged from 30 seconds to 15 minutes, with the confusion caused by yesterday's puzzle always lingering when I start the next. By the end of each school year, you will always close your NYT tab with slightly more trust issues than the one before. At some point, you just have to assume the sadists behind this game are resentful at not making the “normal-sized” crossword team, although this pettiness does seem slightly misdirected.
However, it may be slightly unfair to blame the people behind the mini crossword - perhaps the problematic categories are instead the fault of its unemployed, American target audience. With the number of baseball or TV show references in each crossword, at some point only those with endless time on their hands can possibly know them all (instead of the school students that make up 90% of their fan base.)
Spelling bee:
They say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”… but in this case, the value of this game is entirely dependent on how intelligent you want to feel. Sure, finding the pangram (the word which includes all the letters, for those fortunate enough to not have fallen down a spelling bee rabbit hole) is a difficult feat - until someone comes along and solves it immediately after you’ve spent an agonising five minutes of break trying to figure it out. I have been on both sides of this scenario, and still struggle to admit that the Spelling Bee is a game of luck - because, why else would the game include progress-based rankings? Of course, the real answer is just so people keep playing the game, but that is a tough pill to swallow for an academic validation frenzied mind. That is, unfortunately, the aftermath of one too many exam seasons.
Special mentions go to…
Letter Boxed:
I award the people who play this game, for actually having some sense of purpose. The game requires legitimate thinking, so you can’t use it for brain dead procrastination (which is the usual point of mini game efforts.)
Connections:
Not much to say here, as connections is easily one of the most popular and best mini games. You do need to be okay with failure - and the answers you missed being rubbed in your face at the end.
Tiles:
This game is meant to be relaxing, but not for those striving for success. The lack of a clear goal, or reward to obtain makes this game more stressful than most if you’re a perfectionist. Trust godolphin students to somehow get stressed by a matching game.
And thus concludes this unnecessarily detailed rant-review of the best minigames NYT has to offer. If NYT sees this, please know Unpublished is waiting for our sponsorship, and the striking comments on the mini games team will be removed. Unless they’re correct, given our track record of accurate character insight in the past. Hope you all enjoyed!
Xoxo
The Unpublished team
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