The success of these publications, particularly of the second type, suggests that the business model should work, Ben Tausig argues persuasively that it’s broken: Solvers pay publishers, either for a publication that contains puzzles (eg., the New York Times) or for a publication that consists entirely of puzzles (eg., Mega Crossword Puzzle Book #4). Publishers pay constructors to construct puzzles. The crossword economy consists of 3 parties: constructors, solvers, and publishers. They might evolve, might fade away, are unlikely to remain unchanged. But they’re not necessarily here to stay - maybe when my parents’ generation dies out, so too will crosswords. At 150 years old, they occupy a strange space in games. Their history more closely resembles Candy Crush than it does chess (developed in India in the 3rd century). So: crossword puzzles are a recent invention. The New York Times refused to print them, calling it a “sinful waste,” a “primitive form of mental exercise,” and a “dying fad.” In 1942 they relent and begin publishing what becomes the most celebrated crossword puzzle in the world. Crossword puzzles became popular in the 1920s. Crosswords and HistoryĪ brief history: the first crossword appeared sometime in the late 19th century, possibly 1862, in the United States. One of the first crosswords published in the New York Times Magazine 1. The way crossword puzzles have inserted themselves into the everyday (or every-other-weekend) lives of millions of people is fascinating to me. I am not obsessed but I understand the obsession. The relationship is lightweight but steady. This is all to say: I have a long relationship with crosswords. (!?) Every two weeks Dad scans the acrostic from the Sunday magazine and emails it to me. They are broken and unsolvable, but warmly received. On special occasions I construct crosswords for my parents.
I start “helping” Dad with Puns & Anagrams and the acrostic, when he lets me. Mom and Dad work on the Sunday magazine crossword puzzle in concentrated silence. Crosswords and Meĭad and I make the waffles. In the process, I’ve done some research and some me-search: what is the state of word games, and why do they interest me? If you’d like to give it a spin, send me an email (nsbarr at gmail) and I’ll invite you to the alpha. I’m making a fun little word game for iOS.
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