Buzz
I first encountered crossword puzzles by way of cheating. My grandfather would relax in his chair with a pen and a folded-up newspaper, occasionally tossing a clue to anyone in the room—including me, once I was old enough. Soon, I was perched on the armrest, assisting him with some of the answers.
It wasn't until later in life that I learned some people view googling for information—or asking someone else for it—as 'cheating' in crossword puzzles. (A poll on r/crossword asked whether googling was cheating, and the results were 40% yes, 31% no, and the rest 'other.')
To consider another classic example, how do you play Solitaire—the one where you stack cards in alternating colors, but your fate is based on how well you shuffled? I know that technically, you're supposed to flip three cards at a time, and I start off that way. But before long, I’m flipping just one card at a time to avoid losing the game. I’ve met others who believe it’s acceptable, in a pinch, to peek at the face-up cards in the initial stacks to see what’s hidden. We all have our own definitions of what counts as 'cheating.'
You’re only cheating yourself
When you're playing a game against someone else, cheating becomes a moral issue. For example, being the Banker in Monopoly and secretly stealing the play money is the epitome of dishonesty (and the reason I got banned from family Monopoly sessions as a kid). But there’s no ethical dilemma in one-player games; you’re only competing with yourself.
Since I write the hints for Connections, a reader once accused me of sharing 'cheats' for the game. 'Would you publish cheats for how to defeat ATM machines?' they asked.
Cheating can bring us closer
Between Connections and ATM machines, only one hands out cash rewards. If you cheat at Connections, it doesn’t affect me one bit. In fact, if you ask me whether PICKLE and JAM go together during your cheating session, I might even offer some help by giving you the answer. This is exactly what I do with my daughter every night at bedtime; she plays Connections on my phone, and since I’ve already written the hints, I give her just as much assistance as she asks for—no more, no less.
In fact, I’d argue that cheating transforms a solitary game into a shared experience. Whether you're asking your pre-teen son for a seven-letter hero who battles Dr. Wily, or checking Reddit for a hint to help with today’s Redactle, cheating gives us a way to connect with others.
Cheats make games more exciting
Games need to find the perfect balance to stay engaging. A game that’s too easy offers no challenge; imagine a Sudoku puzzle where every square is filled in before you even begin. On the flip side, if the game is too difficult, it ceases to be enjoyable.
Some games offer difficulty settings or come in various versions to suit your desired level of challenge. I learned to play Solitaire by flipping three cards at once; however, the official Bicycle site suggests flipping one card at a time. The site also mentions there are 150 variations of the game, so if this version is too hard or too easy, there are plenty of other options to try.
Take Celeste, for instance. (If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a 2D platformer that our friends at Mashable ranked as one of the top games of the 2010s.) It includes an assist mode that lets players adjust aspects of the game, making it easier if the challenge is too tough, or making previously impossible tasks achievable for players with certain disabilities. The game’s menu explains: “Celeste is intended to be a challenging and rewarding experience. If the default game proves inaccessible to you, we hope that you can still find that experience with Assist Mode.”
When a game doesn’t offer a customizable assist, it’s up to us to create our own. I believe that any fan of single-player games like Wordle or Solitaire has their own set of personal rules for what truly constitutes cheating. For instance, I won’t search for crossword answer keys or ask, “What’s 34-across today?” but I do allow myself to Google or ask others for basic factual info. When faced with a tough Saturday NYT puzzle, I’ll pull up the browser window much sooner than I would for an easy Monday puzzle.
You see, it all comes down to enjoying the game. Cheating in a solo game isn’t about obtaining something we don’t deserve; it’s about enhancing our experience. Every game is, in essence, a creation. Cheating simply allows you to enjoy the process of making up some of the rules as you go along.
