Christmas puzzles for you and your family

Welcome to this week’s issue!

Just in time for the holidays is our newest podcast with a former Rubik’s Cube record holder, and the creator of 18xx.games, Toby Mao.

Toby even taught actor Will Smith how to solve the cube on the set of The Pursuit of Happiness!

Check out our episode here, or go straight to Apple Podcast (or any podcast app you love).

What are you thinking of the podcast so far?

The holidays are just around the corner, and having a few games to make it more exciting will make the holiday a lot sweeter. To celebrate this year, here are several Christmas-themed brain teasers that everyone will love to try out! Simple, fun and challenging, we highly recommend that you print these out or share the puzzle images with the players.

If you’re the type to enjoy things on your own, no problem! Here are seven free games you can play on your own, ranging from number puzzles to word games.

Five game insights we think will pique your interest!

Othello and Reversi are both well-known classics. Just the green mat and the black and white pieces alone are recognizable from afar. But there’s always been this question: aren’t Othello and Reversi the same game? And you’d be surprised to know that these two games, while extremely similar-looking, are not the same game.

Do you enjoy searching games like Where’s Waldo or some of the Christmas-themed brain teasers above? Then Hidden Folks is the game for you. These kinds of games, while simple to play, are harder to set up as a creator. In this interview with the creators of Hidden Folks, you can learn more about the art and science behind making people look hard for stuff in plain sight!

Remember Pac-Man? We’re pretty sure you do. How about Pak Pak Man? No, really, it’s Pak Pak Man. If you don’t know the game, we don’t blame you. This obscure knock-off title was actually licensed and was allowed to be produced for commercial release, but because of many factors and issues, it didn’t sell well and remained hidden in the emerging world of games back then.

If you have a young family member who wants Minecraft as a Christmas present, then we’d recommend getting them a copy. Due to the game centering around crafting and building, it takes more thinking and attention to detail than other fast-paced games. And in this short video by Games for Change, you’ll see why kids and Minecraft work well in education.

Christmas is just around the corner, and you can feel it in the air. This is one of the best times of the year to kick back and play a good game with friends. So don’t be afraid to reach out and spend time with family and other loved ones, as it’s not every day you get this chance to be together and make memories.

This end-of-year holiday is perfectly summed up by Billy Howle, a British actor, through these words:

“That is what Christmas should be about, I think—togetherness and playfulness. It’s like a game.”

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter issue, and we hope you have a happy holiday and a fantastic New Year!

What’s your fondest memory of Christmas and why? We hope you make more precious moments this year as well.

-The Hey, Good Game Team