#diy puzzling

[puzzlenation]

Fictional Games That Became Real!

Many TV shows, films, and novels help add character to their narrative universes by mentioning the games played by the characters. Shows and franchises as wildly disparate as Battlestar Galactica, New Girl, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Witcher, and Pretty Little Liars have fictional games that enrich their worlds. But sometimes, either through clever marketing or the affection of…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

Puzzles and Games With a Sacred Touch?

In today's blog post, we look at ways that the world of puzzles and games have crossed paths with religion!

In recent times, religion and the world of puzzles and games have crossed paths with sometimes surprising results. The film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, a fairly puzzle-centric thriller, was widely denounced by members of the Catholic Church, and there was similar resistance, though less vocal, against the sequel film, Angels & Demons. And, of course, in the 1980s, the roleplaying game…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

A Punny Costume Challenge Full of Tricks and Treats for Halloween!

In today's blog post, we've got some punny costumes for you to figure out just before Halloween!

Happy Halloween, puzzlers and PuzzleNationers! One of the best things about Halloween is guessing what people’s costumes are. Clever costumes can be great fun, and I’m a huge fan of costumes that only cost a few bucks to put together, because they really let your creativity shine through. Punny costumes lend themselves to the low-budget costume genre brilliantly. So it’s only appropriate that we…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

A Hidden Message Word Search, with Musical Accompaniment by im sad alex!

Who doesn’t love stumbling upon a puzzle where you didn’t expect one? I’m sure many of us do. I certainly do! So when musician and YouTuber im sad alex dropped a new song that included a word search in the video, you know I had to jump on that! Alex claims all of their exes’ names are concealed in this grid, and if you find all of them, you’ll get a secret message. Here’s a screenshot of the…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

Puzzly Suggestions for Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s Day is only a few days away, but there’s still plenty of time to whip up a puzzly treat for the special someone in your life! And naturally we’ve got a few suggestions… Jigsaw puzzles are the perfect metaphor for relationships, as they require separate pieces working together to complete the picture. There are do-it-yourself jigsaw patterns you can utilize at most every art store…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

Problem-Solving Wolves a Problem in British Columbia?

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve no doubt noticed that one of our favorite topics is puzzle-solving animals. In the past, we’ve discussed examples of puzzle solving in cats, dogs, crows, cockatoos, octopuses, bees, pigs, and squirrels. It’s possible we’ll be adding another mammal to the list today, given reports coming out of British Columbia about wolves…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

A Punny Costume Challenge Full of Tricks and Treats for Halloween!

Happy (almost) Halloween, fellow puzzlers! One of the best things about Halloween is guessing what people’s costumes are. Clever costumes can be great fun, and I’m a huge fan of costumes that only cost a few bucks to put together, because they really let your creativity shine through. Punny costumes lend themselves to the low-budget costume genre brilliantly. So it’s only appropriate that we…

View On WordPress

[puzzlenation]

Add Little Atmospheric Touches for a Spookier Game Night!

Setting the mood for a proper spooky game night is essential. And you’d be surprised how much atmosphere you can get out of a few simple choices. Obviously, lighting is the first choice. Candlelight, or dimming the lights in the room is easy, but does a lot to establish mood. Careful lamp placement could throw interesting or menacing shadows across the wall, and you’d be surprised what a few…

View On WordPress