Creating Connections with Connections

Imagine sitting in your 9:15 class bored out of your mind watching the seconds tick by. Within your line of sight, however, is someone with the ever-familiar six-word grid filled with green, yellow and gray letters. Once they solve the puzzle, they move on to grouping sets of words together and then continue clicking through a list of other games.  

Why is there this collective obsession with the New York Times games section? Everyone loves a fun game, but these have a unique way of being simultaneously frustrating and unifying. 

We share our Wordle stats with our friends and families, gloat over our Mini skills or whine about a seemingly nonsensical Connections clue. These small instances serve as a daily check-in for some who send their stats to group chats every morning and an easy, low-stress way to start a conversation.  

“They’re difficult enough to feel like you accomplished something,” explains Tripti Pandey, a junior bioengineering major. “But they’re short enough for a good break and to talk about with friends.” 

In some way, we’ve turned into the stereotypical old man who sips his coffee at his regular spot while he completes the sudoku and crossword puzzle in a physical newspaper. However, the transition from scribbling to typing in our answers isn’t a bad thing; we’re habitually stimulating our minds, and playing these games is much better than doom-scrolling on your preferred social media platform. 

In comparison to the ever-polarizing conversations media sparks, we’re building a healthy community right here on campus with our brain games. 

Some days, Connections has some funny or challenging theme to it–like when all the words were replaced with emojis for April Fools Day. Even when the groupings seem impossible and, frankly, arbitrary, it’s cathartic to scrutinize how baffling they were with your friends. This bonding over seemingly menial habits is why our physical issues include games–including our knock-off Connections. 

“Everyone’s in their own bubble, but these interests can transcend that,” explained our resident Connections extraordinaire and Scene Editor, Matthew Lallas. “I like making Santa Clara-related games that teach students about what they might not know exist.”  

Ultimately, these games feel like a safe corner of the internet, like a hot drink on the coldest day of December. 

Who needs coffee when you have the Wordle?