See The Creative Amusement That You Get From Puzzle Games

By Theresa C Watson

Puzzle games are really just logistical problems that need the solver to make use of a sequence of ideas to ultimately discover the answer. Some can be so baffling that the mathematical community considers them more than just a puzzle but an authentic mathematical challenge that when solved is a great contribution to mathematical studies.

Discovering solutions to these types of games are most commonly not easy tasks to accomplish. The only requirement for some puzzle games is to figure out a straightforward pattern while others may require objects to be put in to the proper order before the answer can be discovered.

Not everyone has a talent for solving puzzles. In fact, a persons distinct method of problem solving can stop them from doing well with one type while they excel at another. Inductive reasoning skills regularly come in handy for solving patterns and ordering puzzles. In the same sense, those that are better with deductive reasoning will nearly always do much better with puzzles that involve inquiry and discovery before an answer can be sought.

This history of puzzle games can be traced all the way back to the 1700's. John Spilsbury developed the first jigsaw puzzle in 1760 to aid in teaching geography to students and until the 1800's this was the primary use for jigsaw puzzles.

In the early part of the 20th century the newspapers realized they could draw in more readers and subscriptions by publishing puzzles in the paper. The Sunday crossword is still widespread in our day with many individuals as they drink their morning coffee.

Through the years of puzzle games there have been quite a few puzzle creators, some of which are more well-known then others. A few of the more extraordinary puzzle creators include Martin Gardner, Will Shortz and Sam Loyd.

Martin Gardner is most distinguished for his "Mathematical Games" column that ran from 1956 to 1981. He published over 70 books in his time and some people consider he is the person behind the famous term "mathemagician" that is utilized even at present.

Will Shortz started his profession in puzzle creating at the Penny Press Magazine. From 1989 to 1993 he was the editor of Games Magazine and is the founder of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament that was started back in 1978. In 1992 he also formed the World Puzzle Championships. He is in addition the director for the United States Puzzle Team.

Sam Loyd is probably the more renowned of the three listed here. He is most remembered as a chess player and at one time was ranked 15th in the world. He loved the game of chess and often developed chess puzzles with witty themes to them. His affection for puzzles did bring about one flaw in his chess playing abilities however. Instead of using simple moves in an effort to win a chess game he preferred to design extraordinary combination's of moves across the board. Before his death in 1911 he also claimed to have been the creator of the "fifteen puzzle" although experts say it was just an variation of an older puzzle instead.

Even nowadays we see puzzles more popular then ever. They are usually found in video games in today's society. Some of the more popular titles of puzzle based games include Tetris and Resident Evil. They are even used in computer based games to tutor smaller children the concepts of reading and writing. With this simple style entertainment having been around for so many years and gaining reputation as we speak it is safe to say they will be about for quite some time. - 29852

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