| - By Lance Hemenway | | | | games in general, and more specifically, |
| They're almost everywhere. Hiding | | | | word games, have increased dramatically. |
| within small libraries, or huddled in | | | | In regards to online gaming, the |
| the dark-frightened of the daylight. | | | | situation is similar. Downloadable |
| -People who play word games; the rare | | | | games continue to find their way into |
| and talented individual who actually | | | | almost every household. And it is in |
| delights in the flirtation between | | | | this respect that word games have really |
| language and entertainment. But who are | | | | found their niche. Computer gamers have |
| these bizarre people? Why do they play | | | | spent thousands of their free hours |
| these word oriented games? And are the | | | | online stimulating their little brains |
| rest of us in any real danger? | | | | till their heart's content. |
| Word games have existed for a long time. | | | | For example, the game "Love Letters," a |
| Looking for words and phrases in a | | | | new title available on Jenkat Games. ( |
| series of mixed up letters has been with | | | | The game combines the flavor of Scrabble |
| us since civilizations have been able to | | | | with the framework of your typical video |
| put pen to papyrus. Anagrams, | | | | game experience. Released just in time |
| palindromes, lexigrams, and puns have | | | | for Valentine's Day, Love letters allows |
| all found their way into our lives at | | | | players to search about in a box of |
| one time or another. People like being | | | | candy hearts, searching for the proper |
| able to engage their minds while being | | | | letters to spell words provided them on |
| entertained. Of course, there are some | | | | a list. The farther you proceed, the |
| people who prefer not to be bothered | | | | more words you have to assemble. |
| with "Intellectual stimulation" during | | | | Word games are staging a bit of a |
| their entertainment. -And those people | | | | comeback. And in many ways, they never |
| watch "Cops." | | | | lost favor at all. Many people have |
| For some time, games like Boggle, or | | | | discovered that word games have |
| Scrabble, did seem to disappear into the | | | | increased their ability to focus, and |
| distant haze of our early childhood | | | | concentrate for longer periods of time. |
| memories. And it was true, that during | | | | Gamers have shown their love for word |
| the immense growth spurt of the video | | | | games in all of its various forms, while |
| game industry, puzzle games, in general, | | | | game manufactures attempt to feed the |
| officially lost favor with the public | | | | growing demand. Word games are not only |
| nation wide. But in the last few years, | | | | a big part of gaming as a whole, they |
| with the growing amount of imported | | | | are a growing part of video-gaming as |
| board games from countries like Germany, | | | | well. And that fact doesn't seem to be |
| board games have been through a | | | | changing anytime soon. |
| renaissance of sorts. Sales of board | | | | |