The crazy history of #sliding puzzle games and why you can’t stop playing them
Sliding puzzles can drive you crazy. This is not an exaggeration. This is the common belief of anyone who has stared at a 15-puzzle for three hours straight, screaming at the screen as the hair slowly recedes from their forehead.
These are addictive. They also have great historical significance. When the first sliding puzzle was invented, it caused a worldwide craze. More than a century later, the same simple mechanical devices still pose challenges to the solver.
How sliding puzzles work and why they seem impossible.
Sliding puzzles are similar to mechanical puzzles. Consider a situation where you need to disentangle two twisted nails or fit a block into a cube. They also share DNA with jigsaw puzzles and mazes. Rubik’s cube? This is a 3D variation of sliding puzzles.
Most sliding puzzles are two-dimensional. You cannot lift the pieces out. They cannot be rearranged freely. You can only slide them into an empty space.
These are also called sliding-block puzzles or simply sliders. The goal is specific. The parts must be placed according to a certain pattern. This may mean completing a picture. This can mean forming a certain shape. Or it could mean creating a perfect array of numbers.
Movement is restricted. One checker must be moved before another checker can be moved. The solution is never obvious. This limitation is the cause of madness.
Children understand the basic mechanics, but the solutions can seem very complicated and impossible.
Why these puzzles are so attractive
The best sliding puzzles are deceptively simple. Sometimes you just need to rearrange a half-dozen pieces. Children understand this concept easily. It looks like child’s play to solve them may seem like child’s play. No need to learn complicated rules.
However, the solution is quite complicated. Some solutions require 100 or more steps.
Puzzles require logic. They need problem solving skills. It requires sequential thinking combined with intuition. They need a lot of patience.
From pieces of wood to mobile applications
Sliding puzzles originally started out as physical devices. Wooden blocks. Plastic pieces. Located in a very rigid frame.
They can easily be converted into computer programs. There are hundreds of sliding puzzles available online today. You can also play it on your smartphone. Can be played on mobile devices.
The media has changed. The madness did not.
