What is a Mystery Puzzle Game?

 Mystery Puzzle Games (MPG) is a term used by The Voynich Times to describe an explosively growing hobby of armchair detectives, ghost hunters, treasure seekers, and solvers of puzzles and mysteries...although we doubt we are the first to have put those words together to describe this or similar hobbies...but we need to define the hobby of which we are reporting on.

Defining this hobby can be as simple as knowing it when you see it, and as difficult as slicing through multiple overlapping Venn diagrams.  There is also disagreement as to where the lines are, and what belongs and doesn't belong, so we will be exploring this through our site over time.  

Many hobbies are defined by those within it, whereas this hobby has been created through multiple means, times, and methods without even the forethought of being a part of this hobby.  For example, some just wanted to create a more immersive murder mystery story, others wanted to add storylines or themes to puzzles, whereas others wanted to create immersive worlds and experiences.  Some have created books, some have added physical props to books, others have created subscription boxes with paperwork and artifacts, while others have moved to digital platforms...so how do we, at The Voynich Times define this hobby?

One of the best ways to describe the genre is to provide examples of the largest players in the field, and work outward from there: 

• Hunt a Killer
• Deadbolt Mystery Society
• Murder Mystery in a Box
• Mysterious Package Company

From there, there are many newcomers in the market, a small sample of which are:

• The Curious Correspondance Club
• The Scarlet Envelope
• The Boundless Library
• The Society of Curiosities

Another type is puzzle books, from companies such as:

• Escapages
• Escape Book
• Montague Island Mysteries

And there are others we will be explorig.

So, what defines this hobby and separates in from similar hobbies?  We will also investigate what it is not, although that line can often be fuzzy (the Venn diagram of this hobby overlaps several other hobbies, not surprisingly).

What it is not:

• Escape rooms (although they are a close cousin and often progenitor of this hobby)
• In person
• Virtual
• ARGs (Augmented Reality Games) (another cousin at times)
• WhoDunnit? Detective stories...a really close sibling that crosses the line at times
• Board games (with some exceptions)
• Card games (with some exceptions)

Confusing, isn't it?

So, what are the key elements of a Mystery Puzzle Game (MPG)? The three concentric circles of the Venn diagram are in the name itself

1. Mystery
2. Puzzle
3. Game

It is a game, first and foremost.  It is a "game" in the fact that you the reader or player need to absorb information and act upon it -- versus a passive reading of a novel, for example.

It contains a mystery to solve.  This is the primary action the player must complete.  it can be as simple as guessing the killer from evidence provided, to uncovering layers of mystery and meaning through hidden clues and across multiple products.

It is a puzzle.  The mystery is not just presented, but must actively be solved, whether through deductive reasoning, decoding ciphers, researching real-world locations for clues, or drawing a map and folding a piece of paper, for example.

So, putting this together, our definition of this hobby is a game where you solve a mystery through puzzles.

We plan on revisiting this definition as we explore this hobby, so we would love your feedback!