Articles tagged as Games and Competition

The mind behind Simon was the innovator Ralph H. Baer.

The Not-So-Simple Simon Proved the Young Were Swifter Than the Old

In 1978, the new blinking, bleeping toy ushered in the era of computer games

September 2006

Cool Finds

19th Century Concern Trolling: Chess Is “a Mere Amusement of a Very Inferior Character”

The writers of Scientific American had some not nice things to say about chess

November 10, 2014

Irish students refine their winning entry, a method for promoting crop growth

A flying fruit fly-inspired robot and a bacterial solution for world hunger are among the three winners

September 23, 2014

The maze is constructed out of glossy maple plywood.

Washington, D.C.

The Winding History of the Maze

Love the idea of getting lost in crooked pathways? Check out the National Building Museum’s summer installation

July 31, 2014

New Research

No Matter How Much You Practice, If You Don’t Have Natural Talent You Still Might Never Be the Best, Some Experts Think

Yet other researchers think that different factors, such as the quality and timing of practice, matter most

July 15, 2014

How Scientists Are Using Games to Unlock the Body’s Mysteries

They’re not just for kids anymore

July 2014

Challenge Yourself With Ken Jennings’ Latest “Playful” Puzzle

Can you figure out this exclusive new brain teaser from the “Jeopardy!” champion?

July 2014

Cool Finds

This Geometry Game Is Nerdy, Addictive Fun

Bisecting an angle has never been more fun

June 27, 2014

Behind the Unceasing Allure of the Rubik’s Cube

The 80’s fad should’ve fallen into obscurity—somehow it didn’t

July 2014

One champion later said he and his co-winner were competing against the dictionary, not each other

May 30, 2014

For its 40th Birthday, the cube goes digital

May 19, 2014

Laurel Consuelo Broughton, "The World is Flat"

Architects Give the Classic Chess Set a Radical Makeover

The designer behind the traditional kings and queens would resign if he saw these avant-garde game boards

April 9, 2014

Cool Finds

Mathematicians Say Candy Crush Really Is Hard

You can feel better about your obsession with Candy Crush. The game isn’t just mindless swiping; it’s an actually difficult math problem.

March 12, 2014

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

How Merv Griffin Came Up With That Weird Question/Answer Format for Jeopardy!

Champion Ken Jennings delves into what gives the virtually unchanged game show its lasting power

March 2014

What is Garry Kasparov’s Next Move?

The great chess champion brings his knowledge to the games of Sochi, global politics and computer intelligence

March 2014

What’s a 9-Letter Word for a 100-Year-Old Puzzle?

The crossword puzzle turns 100 this week — here’s how it rose to popularity

December 16, 2013

Holographic home computer game of the future from the 1981 book Tomorrow’s Home by Neil Ardley

Disney Kills LucasArts, My Childhood

When LucasArts was first starting out in the 1980s, the future of video games included holograms, virtual reality headsets and worldwide networking

April 4, 2013

The concept art for the forthcoming game Star Wars 1313 portrays a crime-ridden city.

What Does Citizen Kane Have to Do With Mass Effect 2?

Modern games find inspiration in the techniques of classic film noir

March 2013

A group of young Parisians playing foosball at a cafe in 1958.

The Murky History of Foosball

How did the tabletop game get from parlor halls in 19th-century Europe to the basements of American homes?

January 4, 2013

Flipping a coin isn't as fair as it seems.

Gamblers Take Note: The Odds in a Coin Flip Aren’t Quite 50/50

And the odds of spinning a penny are even more skewed in one direction, but which way?

November 30, 2012