Pushing Buttons: No matter how hard developers try to avoid it, games are – and should be – political
In this week's newsletter: When the New York Times removed the word fetus' from the game out of fear of making a political statement, they did just that
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The New York Times's acquisition of viral word game Wordle has not been without its controversies: some players are convinced that the words have become more obscure (remember CAULK? I'm still not over it), and the solutions less satisfying. I've felt a vague sense of dissatisfaction with it myself since late February, though I'm not sure how much of that is a natural drop-off from the times of Wordle mania, and how much has anything to do with the game itself. This week, though, there was a genuine controversy when the NYT decided to remove the word fetus" as a solution to one of last week's puzzles. However, the change didn't roll out properly, so some players got it anyway.
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