Every year, during January term (“IAP”), MIT hosts a puzzle-solving competition called “Mystery Hunt,” a massive undertaking and ritual that has grown around the simple objective of finding a hidden coin.
The puzzles are of a unique sort, rarely seen anywhere else except in particular Flash games on the internet. Unlike puzzles with set rules or instructions, such as crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or jigsaws, these puzzles require you to figure out what the rule or pattern is, from a minimally-annotated figure or other source material. It is a testament to the similarity of human thought and logic that people can solve these puzzles at all, which involve great leaps of faith and fishing in the dark (with plenty of red herrings dotting the pool). And despite the stereotype of the nerd having a knowledge focused on a particular discipline and ignoring pop culture or art or whatnot, the Mystery Hunt is only accessible to teams that collectively have a very well-rounded knowledge – of geography, languages, programming, cryptology, pop music old and new, beer brands, and even sports.
I enjoyed this year’s hunt much more than last year’s, partially due to the fact that there is no better preparation for Mystery Hunt than doing one. Last year, I was able to help on perhaps 3 puzzles, and I could not claim many innovations as my own — the “freshman” of Mystery Hunt is frequently occupied with the “data collection” task, such as looking up names or lyrics or years. This year, I think I made inroads on many more than that.
The team this year was also a lot more tight-knit. After the first day, we had around 7 or 8 people working consistently on the hunt, down from the norm of 20-30 people. As a result, we weren’t terribly quick, but we were able to consult with each other much more effectively. We also utilized Google Documents to their full potential – sharing text and spreadsheets between all team members at once.
But the best part is the sheer fun of it all. The people involved come out with a stronger respect for each others’ intellect and humor, and even in the frustration of staring at something fruitlessly for eight hours, there is still the support of others who simply won’t give up. Unlike the real world, where the clues do not always lead towards a certain answer, the enclosed world of Mystery Hunt is one in which minds that occupy the loneliness of infinite space can seek solace in the neat organization of clues arranged by a tidier, more comprehensible hand than God’s.
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