A game that I recently have come to love is Wordle. For a quick introduction, Wordle is a linguistic version of Mastermind. The player has six tries to guess a word, and the game tells you if a letter is included in the word and if it is in the correct spot for each guess. Wordle works on a core aesthetic of challenge; the puzzle refreshes daily with a new word, and the difficulty of coming up with the daily word forms this aesthetic. This also allows for the dynamic where one can continue to improve at the game, but the variety in the English language makes it so it would be almost impossible to master. Another aesthetic of this game is fellowship. Although the game is played individually, there is a social mechanic to the game. You can share results with others either online or in person, and it allows you to connect with others through the shared experience of the day’s Wordle. One more aesthetic of Wordle is abegnation. There are Wordle archives where you can do previous Wordles to pass time and zone out enjoying playing the game.
