Mrs Wordle? Notable NYT employees created their own version, Strikle (and more!)
The New York Times tech workers, who create and maintain the technology that powers the New York Times websites, games and apps, have been on strike since November 5. The New York Times Tech Guild, which employs more than 600 people, is negotiating with Times management for fair pay and protections, the union has asked supporters to stop playing Word, Connectionsand other Times games.
“We know how hard it is to break you Word streak, so we’ve been hard at work creating more games for our supporters,” the Times Tech Guild wrote in X. So far, seven short, simple games have been published to keep the Times gaming community entertained.
There is of course Battlethe picketline-safe version of Word; Word searchwhere you search for words like ‘fair’, ‘contract’ and ‘now’; Connections: Strike Editiona labor-themed version of Connections; Match strikea match-two card game; Scabby’s Honest Contract Builderwhere to find union proposals; Frogger 8th Avea version of Frogger where you avoid cars and union-busting management to jump to the picket line in front of the New York Times office; and a page full of trivia and jokes. All games are quite simple, but a fun way to get supporters involved. A spokesperson for New York-based NewsGuild told The Verge that all games are made by guild members, expected Battle“which was created by an external supporter.”
In addition to the games boycott, the union is also asking supporters to stop using the NYT Cooking app; the linked website has a few strike-themed recipes you can try in the meantime.
Union members are on strike as they try to negotiate a contract that addresses issues such as “remote/hybrid work,” “due cause” protections (something the editors union has), and “fairness/fair pay.” The Times Tech Guild has also filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Times. The union expects to strike until they can reach an agreement; the strike was the “first to coincide with a NewsGuild presidential election since the Detroit Newspaper Strike of 1964,” the Times Tech Union said in a news release. Despite the strike, The Times’ infamous election needle ran on Tuesday.