The Power Of Puzzles

In these days of seventh generation games consoles and MMORPGs, the good old classic puzzle is still as popular as it ever was.

From the meteoric rise of suduko over the last six years, to the traditional crossword puzzle which soon celebrates its hundredth birthday, puzzles are as old as time and they aren’t going away.

The success of Dan Brown's novels and their subsequent film adaptations just go to show how much they can capture the imagination of the masses.

So what is it that keeps us coming back for more after all these years and what does the future hold for our favourite pastime?

The fact is that people like nothing more than the feeling of satisfaction that they get when they have risen to the challenge and solved that which at first seems unsolvable.

Successful puzzle creator and editor Will Shortz sums it up perfectly:

"Puzzles in general, I think, they give you a sense of being in control and putting the universe in order," Shortz says. "With puzzles, you see the whole process through. Each puzzle you solve is a little mystery."

The advent of the internet has only proved to further their popularity. Once a solitary pursuit, puzzle solving has now evolved. Online communities are springing up all over the net, giving people an opportunity to share their experience.

When once puzzlers were limited by the knowledge which they had stored within their memory, now they literally have all of the information in the world at their fingertips.

The traditional treasure hunt has become a whole different experience altogether. Treasure hunters taking part in games such as those found as cashhunt.co.uk can now take virtual tours of the locations which they are investigating; something which Kitt Williams could have barely imagined when he first wrote the seminal armchair treasure hunt book, Masquerade.

In short, puzzles are here to stay. They will be around a long time after this week’s latest trend in gaming is gone and forgotten.

They stimulate and they captivate, they infuriate and they educate, but most of all they are just plain simple fun.

Never underestimate the power of puzzles.

By: Simon Gibson

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