ALEX KUETER / ASST. OPINION EDITOR

The privatization of the New York Times (NYT) games is the latest hit in our world of seemingly perpetually bad news. In late August, students, faculty and professors alike opened the NYT Games app to play their popular series of free minigames, only to find that the Mini crossword was now behind a paywall. The Mini wasn’t the only game to turn private — two of their other games, Letter Boxed and Tiles, also now require a subscription to access.

While the NYT has always had some features behind a paywall, it is typically turn- based with these and other games. In Tiles, for example, you can play two levels worth of tiles for free before you must pay. The Mini, however, was always a free version of the already paywalled crossword puzzle. Now, it also lies behind a wall, inaccessible to students who only have the school- provided student subscription. While many of the games are still available for free, including the famous Wordle, it points to an alarming trend of privatization of free services for profit.

One of the many appeals of the Mini was the ability to solve a crossword puzzle in a short amount of time, without feeling like giving up. The small nature of the puzzle made it accessible to everyone and was a fun way to start the morning or compete with your friends. Now that it’s gone, the morning isn’t the same. USD senior Osa Iyoha shared his disappointment.

“That puzzle is the only thing I looked forward to every single day, and now the New York Times has taken it away,” Iyoha said. “They just snatched it from me. This has been the worst part of my week. I would say of everything that’s been going on in our country, this has probably affected me most deeply.”

One of the appeals for me was how it allowed me to take a break from reading heavy headlines, and go back to them after a few minutes. I often struggle reading frustrating or scary articles back to back, so being able to break them up with games was a nice way to cool down.

Some may say the solution is simple, just pay for a subscription and get the Mini back if it means so much. But that overlooks the root of the problem, that many companies see fit to put everything behind a paywall which destroys the trust behind their customer base. The late stage of capitalism we find ourselves in requires that every action not just be profitable, but the most profitable. Companies feel free to throw trust and loyalty to the wind for a few extra dollars. Students also famously don’t have a lot of extra money or time lying around.

The games can serve as a great way to get students to open the news and start reading important stories. The restriction of these games from student accounts is a tragedy, one that will likely cause less subscriptions.

NYT games reset daily, allowing for constant interaction with users. Photo courtesy of @nytgames/Instagram

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.