Picture this: you are sitting in a large lecture hall, staring out into a sea of people. At first glance, it looks and sounds exactly like you would expect — laptops open, notebooks out and the professor’s voice drifting through the room. However, instead of the lecture slides and notes open on students’ computers, you notice the glow of colorful grids and letters scattered throughout the room. Some people look intensely concentrated on their personal device, while others compare their screens to their neighbors’. It’s not the lecture content that has captured the attention of the class, it’s a mix of the Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword puzzles — the New York Times games that have turned into daily in-lecture activities for many students. The professor’s presentation seems to have become background noise, and the focus of the class period alternatively lies in finishing the puzzles before the lecture ends.
I will admit that I have fallen victim to the NYT Games obsession. Sometimes, the quick and engaging word games are just what I need to get through a 75-minute lecture. It has become a habit, almost like second nature, for me to open my phone and scroll to the NYT Games app. My friends and I frequently compete to see who can solve the Wordle in fewer guesses or work out the Connections the quickest. The games offer a distraction that can make dull lectures pass by more quickly. I know that I am not the only one who has been captivated by these games — a brief look around the room will prove that dozens of other students are doing the same thing.
For many students, the NYT Games have become a routine aspect of lecture time. One student on campus explained that they usually open the app, “in classes that are less engaging, ” adding that “boredom is the biggest factor that draws me to playing NYT Games in lecture.” They even admitted that, “I think it makes me absorb less from lectures because I use it as a way to distract my brain for a few minutes and reset.” These remarks reflect a broader pattern: when lectures begin to lose the attention of students, quick games like this can help to keep the mind stimulated and entertained. However, the mental stimulation it provides comes with a trade-off — losing comprehension of key concepts during class.
On the surface, these puzzles seem like a productive distraction as opposed to social media apps or mindless games. They are intellectually stimulating, and they demand logic and focus. However, this does not change the fact that they pull attention away from the content being taught during lecture. The wide variety of games can easily consume a large portion of class time. Tuning a professor out and instead turning your focus to games is almost effortless, especially in classes that allow laptops. These games are designed to be addictive — with a competitive edge involved and a new set of challenges each day.
Over the course of an entire lecture, these distractions can accumulate to a significant loss of focus and retention. Even brief lapses in attention can mean missing key points and examples that could be beneficial to learning. In addition to missing lecture concepts, our generation is developing an increasingly short attention span, in part due to these small bursts of rewarding content and instant gratification from apps such as the NYT Games. This pattern can make lectures feel monotonous and difficult to stay engaged.
Many students assume that it is possible to balance playing games while listening to a lecture. This raises the question of just how attainable it is to absorb material while slightly distracted. Maybe you only attend class to make sure you get your Poll Everywhere attendance point, or maybe you are interested in learning during the lecture. Either way, the presence of the NYT Games app tempts students to multitask, which can reduce comprehension. Research has shown that switching attention and multitasking can make it much more difficult to retain information.
While distracting in the classroom, the NYT Games can provide several cognitive benefits. Wordle, Connections, Pips and Spelling Bee are each a part of the collection of games that the New York Times offers. All of these games encourage critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. They also have the potential to help expand players’ vocabulary and mentally flexibility. These puzzles offer a great alternative to doom scrolling on social media or playing games that require no intellectual ability. They can also help students reset and destress in a productive way. Using these as a deliberate study break, instead of during lectures, can allow students to reap the benefits of this cognitive reset, without missing information in lecture.
Ultimately, the New York Times Games are not the problem; it’s the setting in which we choose to play them in. They can easily pull students’ attention away from learning during lectures, but outside of class, they can provide a much needed recharge. Solving these puzzles offers a greater intellectual benefit than scrolling social media ever will. Of course, it’s not the end of the world to sneak in a Wordle during class — everyone does it. The key is finding a balance between distraction and a productive reset: using the games as a study break can keep your mind sharp without sacrificing attentiveness when it matters most. After all, no puzzle is worth a failed prelim.
Martha Dolan is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at mmd289@cornell.edu.
