Mind Games – Page 3 – Puzzle Drifter

Galactic Hunt: 20/20 Vision

August 18, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

Galactic’s 2020 online hunt arrived a year late, but better late than never. I had never participated in a Galactic Puzzle Hunt before, but I’ve heard it mentioned as the largest (and possibly most prestigious?) puzzle hunt. Team Galactic designed the most recent MIT Mystery Hunt so I was a little familiar with their puzzles, but I had no idea what to expect. I was glad I participated, but this contest is definitely not recommended if you either a) are new to puzzle hunts or b) don’t want to dedicate more than a few hours of time.

Puzzle Boat 4: Smooth Sailing

June 26, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

3 people. 9 days. 174 puzzles. 0 hints. It’s safe to say our attempt at Puzzle Boat 4 was a success!

Roundup of the Week

June 19, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

I usually have a bad track record of posting updates while I’m in the middle of something, and right now is no exception. Puzzle hunts, online escape rooms, physical escape rooms, mystery projects, new areas of study- it’s been busy. But time for an update!

Huntinality 2021

June 10, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

I found out about the Huntinality puzzle hunt about a week before the contest launched, but any thoughts of participating were squashed when I had a major family event happen the day I would have been working on it. I was thankful when a friend suggested we go through the hunt a week late- better late than never!

My Brief Adventure in Competitive Jigsaw Puzzling

May 31, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

I read an article recently about a tournament in which a roomful of contestants race to solve a jigsaw puzzle. It sounded like a lot of fun, and with Christina and I doing a fair number of jigsaw puzzles recently, I decided to try it out.

Anatomy of a Puzzle Experience: Measuring the “Aha!” Moment

May 28, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

I’ve been putting together a whitepaper on the mathematics behind what makes a puzzle fun to solve. What started as a simple model has evolved into something more akin to a PhD thesis, so I’m going to slow down and outline a few of the basics of the experience of solving a puzzle.

Tall Tales Mysteries – A First Class Murder

May 26, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

On May 14th, I took a half day from work to participate in the second virtual murder mystery weekend from Tall Tales Mysteries (“A First Class Murder” – Titanic theme!!!). The event took place in the evening, but with six time zones separating me and the event host, I had to adjust my schedule to sign on just a bit early. And it was well worth it, again.

Edric’s Treasure Hunt 2021: Reviewed

April 5, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

I stumbled upon Edric’s Treasure Hunt via a Google search a few weeks ago, and I was pleased to see I had time to participate in the 2021 hunt. But after spending 5+ hours on it, I have a little bit of buyer’s remorse for my time spent on this free contest.

Cryptex Hunt 2021 – 9th Place!

March 7, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

Cryptex Hunt 2021 is over, and the results are in. We took 9th. Not bad considering over 700 teams, but I’m looking to win it all next year. Our group was in the top 3-4 for the first three (of five) games in the series today before falling down the ranks a little.

Cryptex Hunt 2021

March 5, 2021 Brian Gondek 0

I joined a team for Cryptex Hunt 2021, and we’re killing it! I had never heard of this contest before this year, but it’s fantastic. Highly recommended for fans of old adventure games like Zork, Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and Shadowgate. And huge bonus points to anyone else who has ever heard of my favorite games of that genre- Hugo’s House of Horrors, Hugo 2: Whodunnit, and Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom.