Key Takeaways
- New York Times Games editors typically start their careers by creating crossword puzzles.
- Puzzle difficulty is specifically calibrated for each day of the week, Monday being easiest.
- The editorial team strives for a balance between puzzle accessibility and challenging gameplay.
- Good games offer solvers a sense of accomplishment, unpredictability, and ultimate solvability.
Deep Dive
- New York Times Games editors Wyna Liu, Joel Fagliano, and Sam Ezersky discussed what constitutes 'cheating' in puzzle-solving.
- Wyna Liu, who initially avoided outside help, now advises using any means necessary to solve puzzles.
- Fagliano and Ezersky generally consider solving methods a personal choice, though Ezersky humorously stated Googling Wordle is cheating.
- All three New York Times Games editors featured began their careers by creating crossword puzzles for the publication.
- Joel Fagliano submitted puzzles in high school, interned in 2011, and joined the team in 2014.
- Sam Ezersky published his first New York Times puzzle at age 17, having been drawn to crosswords from age 12 or 13.
- The New York Times Games team reviews over 150 crossword submissions weekly.
- Accepted puzzles are edited to ensure factual accuracy of clues and to adjust difficulty for specific days, with Monday being the easiest and Saturday the hardest.
- Puzzle difficulty is primarily determined by theme straightforwardness, with themes like 'Red Bordeaux' or 'Justin Trudeau' typically appearing on Mondays.
- The editorial team prioritizes creating accessible puzzles for a wide range of solvers, consciously avoiding obscure references that might alienate players.
- They aim to balance solvability with challenge, often pairing difficult clue categories with easier ones in games like Connections to prevent frustration.
- Sam Ezersky explains that the daily Spelling Bee puzzle curation is a data-driven process, but ultimately human-curated.
- Editors debated the inclusion of obscure words in Spelling Bee, acknowledging the arbitrary nature of language and dictionary definitions.
- Joel Fagliano cited specific bird or animal names as examples of less common words that might appear in some dictionaries.
- Wyna Liu championed the word 'Loris,' stemming from its appearance as a Wordle word, suggesting its potential for use in Connections.
- New York Times Games editors emphasize that a good game provides a sense of accomplishment for the solver.
- Key attributes include unpredictability, playfulness, and ensuring the puzzle is ultimately solvable.
- Editors aim for games that feel human-created and are fun, ensuring players can complete them successfully.