Good God, Not Another Word Game!?

I tried not gazing into the seductive cubes of Wordle, I really did. I knew I shouldn’t look when I saw people’s scores popping up all over social media. “Keep scrolling,” I told myself, “You don’t need this. You already have enough games and crosswords in your life.” But one  day I was weak and tried Wordle and before I knew it, Wordle had drawn me in like cotton candy at the summer fair. 

Here are three things that maybe pull us all in…

The name — Even though it’s based on the inventor’s name It’s goofy and unassuming. Wordle rhymes with ‘turtle’ a slow, plodding creature. Wordle sounds like your nerdy cousin, smiling, wearing braces and thick glasses. The point of the game is to find one five-letter word. How hard can it be? You get six tries. And as you guess, you’re told what letters are in the word, or not, and sometimes exactly where they appear. But then you remember there are 26 letters in the alphabet and probably a billion combinations. You must play detective.

Its’s elusive– It took me a few tries to understand what the game was about. The first time all five green squares lit up, was of course, the initial high. Gee, I thought, this is fun. Let’s do it again. But Wordle is smart. Wordle knows if it was available all the time, the allure would grow thin. After my first win, I went looking for more Wordle, but the Internet had shut down like a dusty ghost town, all access denied. Like a captivating seductress, Wordle only reveals herself once a day. 

It’s hard in an easy way and easy in a hard way — Like many good puzzles, the premise is simple, but the game isn’t. Wordle can be tricky, sometimes using the same letter twice in one word, like ‘cynic’ the other day. Like many players, I pick a first word full of vowels like audio or adieu. That way, you get the bones of the word…sort of. Sometimes you find gold quickly and sometimes you must look away and return with fresh eyes. The subconscious can be a great ally with these things. 

So here I am, despite myself, excitedly delving into one more game. I need another puzzle like I need a new Netflix series to watch. I already play Spelling Bee in the New York Times and both crossword puzzles, the big and the mini. As a reader and writer, my brain is awash in words, I can’t take anymore. 

And yet like many people, Wordle takes us out of myself, away from the despairing and depressing headlines of most days. Even for a few minutes, how nice to be in the now.

Like that nerdy cousin, Wordle beckons each morning,. 

How can I resist?

 

Do you play Wordle? Comments are always welcome and if you liked this, please share.

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