Miss Wordle? Striking NYT workers created their own version, Strikle (and more!)

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 Nov. 5. As the New York Times Tech Guild, which includes more than 600 people, bargains with the Times management for fair pay and protections, the union has asked supporters to stop playing Wordle, Connections, and other Times games.

“We know how hard it is to break your Wordle streak, so we have been hard at work making more games for our supporters,” the Times Tech Guild posted to X. So far, it’s published seven short, simple games to keep the Times gaming community busy.

There’s, of course, Strikle, the picket line-safe version of Wordle; Word Search, where you search for words like “fair,” “contract,” and “now;” Connections: Strike Edition, a labor-themed version of Connections; Match Strike, a match-two card game; Scabby’s Fair Contract Builder, where you catch union proposals; Frogger 8th Ave, a version of Frogger where you avoid cars and union-busting management to hop toward the picket line in front of the New York Times office; and a page full of trivia and jokes. All of the games are pretty simple, but a fun way to engage supporters. A NewsGuild of New York spokesperson told The Verge that all games were made by guild members, expect Strikle, “which was made by an external supporter.”

Alongside 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 to try out in the meantime.

Union members are on strike as they look to negotiate a contract that addresses concerns like “remote/hybrid work,” “just cause” protections (something the newsroom union has), and “pay equity/fair pay.” The Times Tech Guild has also filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Times. The union expects to strike until they’re able to reach an agreement; the strike was the “first to coincide with a presidential election in the NewsGuild since the 1964 Detroit Newspaper Strike,” the Times Tech Union said in a news release. Despite the strike, the Times infamous election needle ran on Tuesday.