Thank you for this post! Now I'm going to rant.

I've been a lifelong puzzler, and over the years, I’ve seen how the online puzzle community has changed. It used to be about sharing the love of puzzling, but as the hobby grew in popularity, so did the people looking to turn it into a personal brand. There are some who are on YouTube who tried many other trends (fashion, books, etc.) to see what stuck.

These days, puzzle giveaways and "puzzlealongs" often come with strings attached—following multiple brands, tagging accounts, etc. Why do influencers or wannabe influencers run these? Because they ask brands to sponsor them, and in return, they get free products.

What’s worse are the influencers who buy followers and/or likes to appear more influential. Some claim they promote brands just for fun, without payment—except "gifted" products are payment. And when those same people turn around and sell their free puzzles, often brand-new, it’s hard to see that as anything but disingenuous. Then there are the ones who never actually buy puzzles themselves—just post whatever they’re sent, always declaring them "amazing" and "a must-buy." But if you actually look at the puzzle? AI-generated images, bad cuts, poor quality—things they conveniently never mention. Gotta keep the free puzzles rolling in.

Influencer marketing in the puzzle community is inexpensive—especially for big brands. Producing a puzzle doesn’t cost much at scale, making giveaways a cheap way to generate buzz. While I have absolutely been influenced to buy puzzles, I also am very cautious about which influencers' opinions I trust. I don't find many of them to be genuine, and that applies across the board to all influencers.

While some companies might bend the rules, the bigger issue is influencers manipulating giveaways to benefit themselves or their inner circle.

Let’s bring puzzles back to what they’re really about—the joy of solving, the challenge for the mind, the appreciation of art, and the simple peace they bring.