I Got Games on My Phone

Many people have a morning routine. Some involve coffee or watching the news. Set the tone for the day, get the mind going. My day starts with games. I love words and puzzles. Figuring things out is fun for me. I want to keep my mind sharp and active for as long as possible. My endeavor is backed by science with neurologist Dr. Elana Clar noting “…the reason why word games are good for brain health is because they can improve attention, verbal fluency, memory and processing speed—all skills that can decline with age.” So always know, I got games on my phone.

The most challenging is up first, Spanish on Duolingo. The app seems polarizing but I enjoy it. I’m on a 4-year streak, currently in the Diamond League, and like earning double XP chests each day. Spanish is my main language, but I’ve dabbled in the basics of French, Arabic, Swahili, Portuguese, Italian, and Chinese, Mandarin to be specific. In middle school I dreamed of being a polyglot, now I’m fine catching a word or phrase I vaguely recognize.

Black Crossword “is a free daily mini crossword puzzle that places emphasis on terms and clues from across the Black diaspora.” I believe I was introduced to the site on the app formerly known as Twitter. Each puzzle is delightful and I’m incensed whenever completion surpasses the one minute mark. Creator, Juliana Pache has a physical book available for purchase as well. I need to acquire that posthaste. 

Switch Safari tabs to Wordle. Did I read the directions when I decided to join the party? No. Did I proceed to waste guesses because I was unaware of what the colored squares meant? Yes. Eventually, fed up, I tapped the question mark, and all became clear. I always look for an obscure word as the answer. I’ve convinced myself that it must be something unusual. That is rarely the case, the answer is usually fairly simple. Even simplicity is elusive some days. Once or twice, due to nothing other than luck, I’ve guessed right on the first try. Most puzzles are completed on the fourth line. Sadly, I broke my streak with an incorrect final guess last week.

Moving over to the apps requiring precious storage space. Wordscapes! A mix of a crossword and anagrams. The daily puzzle tries to keep the three star prize out of reach. It doesn’t succeed often. I always collect enough stars to get 500 coins at the end of the month. In the main game I’m on level 6612. I’m also stuck on level 6612, due to an elusive four-letter word. I feel that every reasonable option has been used, I’ll roll my eyes when I finally get it.

Rounding out the session is 4 Pics 1 Word. My dad plays this one too. I swear sometimes the medium puzzles are harder than the difficult ones. After 4061 levels I stand by that. Sometimes one photo is enough to figure out the word. Other times I tap on each one to see if I’m missing something because somebody must’ve lied about a correlation between the images. In the mornings I focus on the Daily Puzzle collecting coins and digital trinkets. There’s also a newer minigame. Originally it was a generic Wordle. For unnecessary razzle dazzle, lately it switches between Wordle-esque and variations on typical game play. Generic Wordle did fine on its own. 

I love a challenge. Every day I get fresh ones. Whether I’m fighting to remember how the Spanish subjunctive works or finding a word to tie together peanuts, sneezing people, a cat, and two fish. I’m partly driven by competitiveness with myself. I like to keep streaks going. It’s extremely satisfying completing a lesson or puzzle. I’m a curious person who spends a significant amount of time wondering about any number of things. The games help improve how I think and look at things. What’s better than fun that keeps you nimble?