My Favorite Puzzle Game Right Now
I am a fan of the "daily puzzle" games. Wordle, The Mini, and Connections have become ritualistic habits, but there is a new game, that has really gotten my attention...
DiPartures is my chance to write about things that are a far departure from the SoEV project which has (thankfully) brought most of my readers to this Substack.
If you are new to this Substack, you can check out my other sections INS(oev)IDE, where I write about the stories of being a street photographer and some commentary on clothing and style or GENEs, interviews about clothing with the stylish people I’ve met in the neighborhood.
Part of my morning routine for the past six months or so has been to play some of the NY Times daily games to “wake my brain up”. I get up earlier than everyone in my house, make the coffee, put away the dishes from the night before, and play Connections, Wordle, and the Mini.
I was getting into a bad habit of scrolling Instagram and Reddit before fully waking up and I realized it was something I wanted to move past. So instead, I’ve changed my morning routine to be slightly more positive, although I am still probably staring at my phone too early (next thing to change), at least I am not doom scrolling…
Although I am still consistently looking forward to doing the daily Connections puzzle, a new game has stolen my attention and enthusiasm on a daily basis.
TimeGussr
I have no idea where I came across this game, but it happened about a month ago and I’ve been addicted ever since.
It is so simple.
Each day, you are presented with 5 images, and the goal of the game is to place a pin on the map where you think the photo was taken, and the year. Think Geogessr, but without being dropped into Google maps, but rather, finding a photo and trying to return it to the location and time it was taken.
From the moment I opened TimeGuessr, I loved its simplicity. One photo, a map, and a slider—that’s it. It strips away the distractions and focuses entirely on observation and feel, it also plays right into my interests: style, photography, and, it’s been testing my knowledge of the history of both.
What I’ve noticed, for me, some eras feel trickier than others. The 1960s to late 70s are especially tough—clothing styles blur together, and in certain regions, fashion looks completely different than what your minds eye has created of what was going on at the time. It’s also been fun to see photos from the 70s of people who were clearly influenced by 50s styles, or 90’s and 70’s, showing the global cyclical nature of style.
The first few times I played, my score was bad, but I was hooked.
Each round feels like a small puzzle, with the added challenge of decoding not just where, but when an image was taken, using clues from a shot in time.
So far, my approach is always the same: I start by scanning for street signs or architecture to narrow down the location, then I analyze the people—their clothing, accessories, even their posture—to refine the time period. For anything 1990s and later, the presence (or absence) of cell phones is an instant clue that helps pin down the decade. I seem to be struggling with the fact that even in the mid-80’s people were still taking lots of black and white photos…or at least that’s what it seems on this game.
Regionally, I’ve noticed some patterns in my accuracy. North America? Usually pretty close. South America? Decent, but hit-and-miss. Certain parts of Europe—France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland—I find easier, but Scandinavia always throws me off. Africa is unpredictable, but the presence of flags usually helps. Asia can be surprisingly intuitive, even though I’ve never been there…
It’s also been very entertaining to think “why was this photo taken?”, who is the photographer, what is the context. With some photos being as specific as meetings inside the oval office in 2024, while others being a group of men outside a factory in the early 1900s.
A Refreshingly Low-Stakes Game
One of my favorite things about TimeGuessr is what it doesn’t have: a global leaderboard. At first, I wasn’t sure how well I was doing without a clear ranking system, I was so curious how sharp my skills were in comparison with others. The competitive side got the better of me and I emailed the game creator. Their response? A global leaderboard would eventually be ruined by cheaters getting perfect scores, so why bother? It’s a refreshingly honest take, and now, the more I play, the more I think it makes the game better. It keeps the focus on personal improvement rather than grinding for meaningless online points. Also the ability to add friends made the smaller leaderboard made it even more fun—we compare scores without the pressure of competing against a bunch of strangers (or bots).
That said, TimeGuessr is definitely a niche game. I’ve recommended it to friends, and their reactions are hilarious—it’s either an instant addiction or complete disinterest. It really only appeals to a specific kind of person: those who love history, geography, and photography. If that’s you, there’s a good chance you’ll love it. If not… well, you’ll probably wonder why I’m so obsessed with it.
I’ll be adding photos to it shortly, so look out for some “east vancouver” gems in the near future!
If you are interested in joining me daily, you can add me as a friend to your leaderboard: mikecldi.
Oh I love this. I can’t wait to add it to my daily routine. The anthropology interests I have will play right into this. Thank you for sharing!