A Love Letter to Mini-Games
Updated: Apr 7
Here’s a fun tidbit for you: the creator of the 2021 phenom, Wordle, is named Josh Wardle. I kid you not. He made a fun little app for he and his partner to enjoy. Nine months later, the game was made public and absolutely exploded!
Five years later: NYT owns Wordle and the hype has died way down. I will admit that my family and I still post our scores in a text chain most days as a fun way to stay in touch and trash talk each other. (Trash talk is a favorite Tatum family past time.)
Despite it’s decline in popularity, I will be forever grateful to Wordle for opening the door to the magical world of…mini-games! Perfect little morsels of joy to distract from the horrors contained in other parts of your phone. Tiny hits of dopamine that are actually good for your brain. I love unwinding after a long day with the mildly to not-at-all challenging lineup of mini-games. Stress relief tool unlocked!
Lucky for us, The Times does not have the monopoly on mini-games. Their selection is delightful but may I also recommend a few other lesser-known spots that I keep in my daily rotation:
Yes, LinkedIn joined the mini-game game a year or two back. No offense to the power posters and business influencers that live for LinkedIn but these mini-games are the best thing on this site. My top faves are: Tango, Queens, and Zip.
Apple News
Sneaky Apple News has a puzzle page and it is not bad. IMO, the best game by far is Quartiles. Definitely worth checking out.
Merriam Webster
Vocabulary nerds rejoice! You can play daily word games or weekly challenges but either way, you’re learning AND having fun! Neat!
The Almanac
Free iOS app.
The Almanac is a solid app full of different mini-games. Some overlap with other platforms but they are fun regardless. Bonus: the design is lovely!
Puzzmo
Another well-designed app that is chock full of puzzles and games. You can lose track of time in this rabbit hole of happiness and I hope you do!
Worldle
For the geography buffs, may I present Worldle which is Wordle but asks that you identify countries by their shapes. Good times!
I know there are many more so please share your faves! I hope this trend never ends. These lil’ guys are truly the fun that keeps on funning. Happy puzzling!
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