The Vergecast Why are online puzzle games having a moment?
114 snips
Sep 2, 2025 
Allison Johnson chats with Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, world-class puzzle champions and hosts of Cracking the Cryptic, as they discuss the surge in online puzzle games and share insights on their unique Sudoku variants. They delve into the community dynamics that make puzzle-solving a shared joy and the difference between handcrafted and digital puzzles. Later, Marc Levoy, VP at Adobe and a pioneer in computational photography, introduces his new camera app, Project Indigo, and explains the nuances of HDR technology in smartphone photography.
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A Large, Kind Puzzle Community
- Cracking the Cryptic's Discord grew organically to ~40,000 members and fosters intense, kind puzzle collaboration.
- A supportive community amplifies learning and mental-health benefits for members.
Puzzles Offer Mindful Escape
- Puzzles offer focused, mindful attention that pulls people away from stress and the pervasive influence of technology.
- This calm, rewarding engagement explains the recent cultural surge in puzzle popularity.
Use Tools And Build A Solving Toolkit
- Use specialized software tools to color, draw lines, and manage complex logic when solving hard variant Sudokus.
- Build your own toolkit of techniques through experience rather than relying solely on arithmetic helpers.
