I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about how apparently cheating at Wordle is on the rise. I was talking about this in the Poly Land Discord the other day, and in our discussion, a really good issue was raised: Why?
Why would you possibly cheat at Wordle? What is the point of that?
Because it’s not like there are fabulous cashes and prizes here to be won. Wordle, and other puzzle games, is about the experience of solving the thing. The challenge. The brain tickle as you work out a solution. The stress and release of getting frustrated and then having an epiphany.
That sort of thing.
Without that, Wordle is data entry. And to be honestly, you should be getting paid for that.
The Whole Point Is That This Is Someone You Can Trust #
I was talking to another friend of mine later. About a bad dynamic that someone else is in. One person always manipulating, controlling, making the other person feel like nothing.
“I suppose I could do that,” my friend said, “but it seems like an awful lot of energy.” Beyond the moral piece, she said, it seems like it would be hard work. “And leave a battered shell of a human being in its wake. So from a selfish perspective, why would you even do that? What are you controlling at the end of the day if you do so by tearing someone else down?”
“Mmm,” I said. “And it also makes me think of those people who are cheating at Wordle.” I tell her about the Discord talk I’d had earlier. About how pointless it really seems to cheat at Wordle. Like you’re only cheating yourself. “Manipulating someone I care about is as ridiculous as cheating at Wordle. Controlling the outcome ruins the whole thing. The whole point is that this is someone I can trust. That is the whole point.”
Can it be frustrating learning to trust someone? Can it be scary? Yes. There are times when you will feel like it won’t work. That you can’t let things be how they are. But you’re robbing yourself of the experience, of all the joy and trust, if you try to manipulate everything.