The short answer:
As long as they’re good.
The long answer:
This past weekend, I found myself in quite the puzzling situation. From this statement alone, some of you may be able to guess what I was doing, but for the rest of you, think of it as a puzzle to figure out.
In any case, it occurred to me that I like puzzles far more than the average person. For instance, many people like to do sudoku. But I had heard of sudoku before it became a worldwide phenomenon. (Little known fact: sudoku originated in the United States under the name “Number Place.” No wonder it never caught on.) As another example, many people like to do crosswords. But I’ve done a crossword without the grid using only the down clues. (Actually, there was a group of us, but I figure that any attempt to perform such a task is crazy enough.)
As such, I’ve done a lot of puzzles, both easy and hard. But I find that the most frustrating puzzles are not the ones that are the most difficult but the ones that are poorly made. It’s the difference between doing a Saturday New York Times crossword and doing a crossword full of “crosswordese,” obscure words that only occur in crosswords because the constructor had trouble filling that part of the grid. Personally, if I were to make a crossword, I’d make sure to try to use every word in the grid in casual conversation. (“On the cruise, I saw an erne flying alee that was as playful as Asta.” “What?” “I saw a white-tailed sea eagle flying towards the side of the ship away from the wind that was as playful as Nick and Nora’s dog from the 1930s comedy The Thin Man, of course.”)
Good puzzles should have clear logic and unique answers. The best puzzles should cause you to think in some way in which you haven’t thought before. They should somehow use familiar things in an unfamiliar manner. Regardless of how hard they are to solve, you should know with certainty whether your solution is correct. If you can’t solve them, then upon learning the answer, you should think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” And if you can solve them, well, then there should be nothing more satisfying than that “aha!” moment.
Maybe the reason I like puzzles so much is that I wish the whole world was more like a puzzle. As you may recall, I’m kind of a sitcom snob, and I find that the best sitcoms are those that give you something to think about and figure out. You may also recall that I don’t think you should try to figure people out, since they aren’t puzzles meant to be solved. And with all the uncertainty in this world, isn’t it be nice to have something that has a definite answer, something to strive for that we know is out there for us to find, if only we can think of it?
But, alas, the world is full of unsolvable mysteries and questions without answers, and as much as I would like Questionable Me to answer them, that isn’t going to happen. I guess that means I’ll have to settle for curling up with a good crossword every now and then. Now, what’s a six-letter word for “toast”?
Cheers,
-qm
