As the new year rolls in, we aim to experiment and try new things to add to our daily routines. Some choose outdoor activities like a walk or a run, others pick creative activities like painting, and some prefer spiritual activities like meditation.
Personally, I indulge in therapeutic practices. It’s not exactly therapy or journaling, though I recommend both for everyone to try, but a series of online games. These are simple games that refresh daily and I always set aside 10 minutes daily to complete them all.
Though it might sound a little childish to play games every day, having them as part of my daily routine puts my mind at ease. These mini-games, help exercise your brain by learning and expanding your vocabulary and geographical knowledge. I have compiled a list of my favorite ones, some bonus ones you might enjoy, and some strategy tips
Vocabulary
Wordle
Probably the most well-known mini-game on this list. Part of the New York Times’ collection of games, Wordle consists of guessing the word of the day in 5 tries or less. Depending on the letters you chose, they can either be in green (right letter in the right place), yellow (right letter in the wrong place), or gray (not in the word). This timeless game is simple yet challenging and has honestly made me learn a plethora of new words.
Tip 1: I always start with the words SWEAR, PILOT, and CHUNK because they contain the most common alphabet letters and can help you go in the right direction faster than random words.
Tip 2: If you want to make the game more challenging, there is an option on the settings menu called HARD MODE. If you enable it, any revealed hints must be used in subsequent guesses.
Mini Crossword Puzzle
As the name implies, the game is a small crossword puzzle that you have to solve. There is nothing particularly special about it aside from the fact that it is a lot easier and faster for people who don’t have much experience filling out regular crossword puzzles. I personally play the mini crossword by the New York Times but many other newspapers offer a version of this game.
Tip 1: After completing the daily mini crossword puzzle, you can head to the ALL GAMES tab, scroll to the bottom, and find the free archive that contains random previous editions of crosswords, including the mini, for free. If you have a subscription the the New York Times you can also enjoy all archived editions.
Tip 2: If you are playing the crossword in public, make sure that your computer is on mute. This is because when you complete the puzzle, a little jingle plays. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.
Connections
Yet another game by the New York Times, Connections consists of grouping words by categories ranging in difficulty (yellow being the easiest and purple the hardest). This sounds simple but honestly, it is the game I spend the most time on because it can get very tricky. Whoever is coming up with the categories must get a raise.
Tip 1: Expect the unexpected.
Phrazle
Phrazle is also one of the slightly more challenging games. It has the same concept as Wordle but with popular phrases/idioms. The letters can be highlighted in green (right letter in the right place), orange (right letter in the wrong place within the word), purple (right letter but in the wrong word), or gray (not in the phrase). This game is more time-consuming than the rest but it is worth the extra challenge.
Tip 1: Sometimes the game can get a bit frustrating so I recommend a word finder to make your life easier (no, it’s not cheating– work smarter not harder)
Geography
Countryle
Moving on to geography games, Countryle is the country version of Wordle. You start by guessing a country and depending on your answer, the game will tell you the difference (or similarities) in the hemisphere, population size, continent, average temperature, and direction. This game is also cool because as you solve it, you fill up a map with the countries you’ve guessed.
Flagle(s)
One of my life goals is to recognize every country’s flag. The Flagle games have aided in strengthening my knowledge. I added (s) at the end of the title because there are two versions of the game with the same name. The first Flagle starts revealing part of the flag of the day based on the guesses you make. It doesn’t give you more information than that but the guess list does include pictures of each flag which is a great help.
The second version of Flagle is slightly different. Here you have 6 chances to guess the correct flag as it gets revealed. The cool thing about this edition is that it has bonus games after you guess the flag correctly. They include the country’s shape, the flag of a neighboring country, and population size.
Tip 1: The second version of Flagle counts many territories and random islands as countries so I recommend having a tab open to search for maps to simplify your guessing.
Globle
In Globle, you also have to guess the country of the day. What makes this game unique, aside from the interactive 3D globe, is that it gives you virtually no hints. You just start guessing and it will tell you if your guess is warm or cold (warm being you’re close and cold being you’re far away).
Worldle
In Worldle, made by the same people who made Flagle, you have to guess the country of the day by its shape. This can be very simple but at times it can be challenging due to the depth of their database. Thankfully, they point you in the direction of the country and how far away it is. Like the other game, Worldle has bonus rounds. These include the flag, capital city, bordering countries, population, most populated cities, and country size.
Bonus
Quordle
If you enjoy Wordle and want an even harder challenge, Quordle is the answer. Created by Merriam-Webster, here you play normal Wordle but with four boards at a time. It is not something I would add to my daily game routine since it is quite time-consuming but it is a good game to play for those interested.
Bonus: I don’t know who would do this but if you want even more of a challenge, there is Octordle. Yes, you play with 8 boards at a time.
Nerdle
For those who like the subject, there is a math version of Wordle for you to enjoy. Nerdle is the same concept as Worlde but with mathematical equations instead of a word. I don’t play this game because I’m not a fan of doing math for fun (maybe because I’m not great at it either lol) but there is something for everyone.
Through social media, I realized that there is a big community of people online who enjoy playing all these games and many more. Maybe you have a similar routine and found out about some new games to add or maybe you found a new calling. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this little list of small activities to brighten up your day.
