Other games

I hate fishing, why did I do this? I was halfway to a scatha. I even insta bought everything. If anyone is of drinking age, never log into your account drunk. I had 211m in my bank last night and I logged in with 33m today fml. even if I sell it all I will take a heavy loss.

1. Connections is a game. It's okay not to enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, you don't have to play it. Nobody will judge you if you stop playing.

2. Connections is a word game. It is aimed at people who enjoy words, in all their glory. Common words, less common words, common words with different, less common meanings. I don't think anyone here knows the meaning of every word, but that's okay. It's an opportunity to learn something, if you choose. Feel free to ask about it (without being pissed off at the puzzle) if you're not familiar; people here are happy to give examples and context. Saying, "Nobody has ever heard of 'oeuvre,' this is a horrible puzzle!" comes off as "I personally have never heard of oeuvre, and nobody could possibly know more than me!" It's a bad take. If you're frustrated by not knowing, see #1.

3. Connections is also a trivia game. Just like going to trivia night at the bar, you may not be familiar with a specific topic, and that's okay, too. Again, it's an opportunity to learn; again, ask. Saying "Horror movies are too niche, this is a terrible puzzle!'" comes off as "Anything I don't personally know about is too niche." Another bad take. Again, if you're frustrated by not knowing, see #1.

4. Most Connections boards will have red herrings. It may be more than four words that fit a correct category. It may be a false category that 4 words in the puzzle fit. It may be an incomplete category that fewer than 4 words fit. Yes, this is done deliberately, to increase the challenge of the game. A valid puzzle will have exactly one way to group all 4 words into categories. (I have seen puzzles that miss the mark on this, but it's very rare.) If you're posting a comment like, "How could they not know that 'chill' also means relax???" consider for a moment that they probably do know that, and that maybe you don't understand how the game works. If this frustrates you, see #1.

5. Connections, or at least the New York Times version of the game, is aimed at an American audience, and even more specifically, at an NYC audience. They will have categories that center on American culture - you'll see baseball and American football categories. You'll see categories that are very New York-specific, like the NYC neighborhoods. You'll see words that are Americanisms, and wordplay based on American accents/pronunciation. Complaining about that seems a little odd - I wouldn't go to the Times of London's puzzles and gripe about them using boot or lift in a way that was unfamiliar to me, or about them including Premiere League teams. If you're not American or not from New York, encountering something in a puzzle is a way to learn about a different culture, or maybe you choose to ignore it; either is fine. Maybe you go find games aimed at your own part of the world. But complaining, "A New York Times game doesn't cater to my region!" is, again, incredibly self-centered. If this frustrates you, see #1.

6. Category colors are best thought of as "straightforwardness" rather than difficulty. Having to think beyond the actual meaning of the words as presented in the board makes things not straightforward, and is usually purple. Synonyms with common definitions of words are usually yellow. This may correspond to "difficulty", but not always. Sometimes a yellow category is easy to spot from common synonyms, but there will be a 5th word that could fit, which makes it hard. Sometimes purple will jump right out at you. In either case, "straightforwardness" or "difficulty" are subjective, and the color of a category doesn't affect the gameplay. If this frustrates you, see #1.

7. The particulars of a category title don't affect gameplay. Yes, sometimes the title could be improved, and it's fair to call that out, but before you come here to complain, keep in mind it doesn't have any effect on your ability to solve the puzzle. If this frustrates you, see #1.

8. Sometimes you will lose the game. That's okay. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with the puzzle. There are no stakes, it doesn't cost you anything. Be happy when you win, be gracious when you lose. If losing upsets you, see #1.

9. The puzzle is not perfect. Sometimes a category will be a clunker. Sometimes something could be improved. Sometimes (rarely) there will be multiple reasonable solutions for the puzzle as a whole, making the puzzle invalid. That's fair to criticize, but also extend some grace. The puzzle is made by real people. Again, there are no stakes here, and you're probably playing for free. If that upsets you, you know what to do.

I'm sure that I'm missing some. Feel free to add your own.

Edit: Can I edit? I'm confused as to why this post was locked. The conversation mostly didn't seem like it was out of bounds.