Bored in class? Need a break from the Canvas To-Do List? The New York Times (NYT) games have recently skyrocketed in popularity among high school students. Unlike other games students will occasionally play during school, NYT games are not restricted, making it easy to take a quick brain break during class and play a game.

Typically, mobile games are mindless activities like virtual car racing, but the New York Times games differ. Each game is a different puzzle that you have to figure out.

The most popular NYT games include Connections, The Mini Crossword, Strands, The Spelling Bee, Lettered Box and the Wordle which started the game frenzy a few years ago. 

“The Connections one really makes me think outside the box and gets my mind working on things I wouldn’t usually be thinking about,” said Summit junior Peyton Blossey. Teachers and students alike participate in these games, and they are often played in the work environment.

Connections is a word-matching game, where the player has a few tries to find sets of four words with something in common. It stimulates the brain and forces people to think in different ways. An example of a past category was “female animals,” including the words “cow, doe, ewe and hen.” 

These engaging games excite not only students but also teachers. The New York Times games are typically more accepted by teachers because they get students’ brains working, expand vocabulary and improve spelling.

“Mostly, I play The Mini, Connections and Wordle. My family and I have competitions with them,” said World History and AP U.S. History teacher Scott Meredith, who talks with students about the games and often catches them playing in class.

Summit junior Anthony Kocher finds that the games activate his brain in a way he enjoys and gets him thinking at the beginning of the day so he is more open to doing work and can get it done.

“I play them in my first couple classes, usually with someone, and after it’s finished I stay pretty focused on the tasks or assignments I’m given,” said Kocher. Many other students feel the same way. 

“It’s a more school-focused game,” said Summit sophomore Rou Coates-Flaherty. Students understand that these online games can be distracting, but feel that these games give something useful as well.

Even though some teachers don’t mind NYT games, classwork does come first for many teachers.

“It can be very distracting, some people play games instead of doing their work and that’s a problem. I don’t mind if students play them because I think it’s good for their brains but during class, it is not good because they are distracting,” said Meredith. 

Most teachers feel this way but have found that students are going to play games either way. The district has tried to block them, but of course, students have found a way around it whether they use their phone or get the New York Times app.

Students’ minds are filled with new knowledge and topics we learn in school, and the games allow for a new educational way for our brains to function.