The games on the New York Times (NYT) website have been becoming more and more popular among students and teachers alike, providing a fun and educational way to give everyone’s brain a break.
The New York Times have been providing readers with games for decades, starting with the classic crossword puzzle which was launched in 1942. Now, almost 8 decades later, the New York Times have started adding new games onto their website, starting with the Mini Crossword Puzzle, followed by the Spelling Bee, Connections, and probably the most popular, Wordle. As of recently, these games have been becoming more and more popular among people of all ages, as it provides an educational way to give people’s brains a break.
As these games have been becoming more popular, it is shown that a lot of students play the games before their English classes. This gives the students a chance to warm up their brains to learn in a fun, but still educational way.
“The New York Times games are like a warm up and they can stimulate my brain, kind of like getting in the zone or exercising my brain,” Jeremiah Park (11) said.
Students also enjoy that it is not a waste of their time and that they are actually something that is beneficial to them while still being fun to do.
“I think these are the good kinds of games that we can be playing because it kind of helps mentally,” Samantha Barrett (10) said. “It’s not just a waste of our time.”
One downside is that these games may distract students from what they are supposed to be listening to in class. Even though this may be true, teachers agree that if the students are done with their work or if they are doing it before or after a lesson is finished, it could be a great activity for the students to enjoy.
“I think that it might be a distraction, but if they’re done with their work, or in some classes, I know that they’re allowed to do things for fun. That would be a good educational activity,” English 9 teacher Mrs. Jessica Mensen said.
From Wordle to Connections, all the way to the Original Crossword Puzzle, the games on the New York Times website have become more and more popular. Supplying a great way to spend time, these games provide great educational benefits that will help students in the long run.
“I think they’re becoming more popular because people are realizing how fun it is, like crossword puzzles. I didn’t like crossword puzzles, but now I do,” Barrett said. “It’s just kind of fun and good, not a waste of time.”
