Why did we even start in the beginning?

[Garf]

Back to potentially serious conversation...
@Garf , you mention a couple of other puzzle genre's on your original post. Those only have one way to approach and answer. There are jigsaw puzzle solving competitions for the same reason that there are twisty puzzle competitions, there are multiple ways to approach the solution. Whether it be a researched speed solving technique or a personal preference approach that just works for you, there are many different ways to approach this puzzle. I doubt that Mr. Erno Rubik ever imagined the twisty puzzle community becoming as large as it has, but he has to be proud of himself for being the first person to ever solve the damn 3x3, even if it wasn't the best approach. At the time, his approach was the most logical and straight-forward way that he had developed, and look what it led to; an entire culture of people always searching for the next best way. This puzzle is forever improvable, if for no other person than the one solving it. That's why the speed solving community has grown so easily, quickly, and interestingly. Everyone has room to improve. The twisty puzzle community overall is a completely different build (pun intended). The basic idea of the 3x3 has been transformed into so many incredible puzzles that likely would never have existed without Mr. Rubik's randomly created for a geometry type class puzzle. This world can, and will, continue to grow because there are so many shapes and so many ways to turn them!

Don't be afraid to step away from your comfort zone, folks. The WCA speed stuff is great, but there are so many more things that this simple (now that we can solve it) puzzle has led us to!

That is a solid point. Thanks for that!

 

[abunickabhi]

I remember an amateur cuber writing a book on speedcubing.

Scheffner or someone wrote a really good on what speedcubing really is and how it is fun to explore.

 

[Deleted member 36445]

Why is speedcubing the way it is now? What got people so invested in this puzzle that they were willing to try to solve it as fast as possible? And why just this puzzle, not riddles, wooden puzzles, etc?

cub.

 

[Bingus Ringus McDingus]

I asked chatgpt. It gave a rather interesting response. Perhaps @DuckubingCuber347 would find this intriguing.

Spoiler

Once upon a time, in a mythical land filled with talking ducks and magical creatures, there lived two ducks named Zzoomer and TheCubingCuber. Zzoomer was known for his legendary Valk Elite speedcube, which he had won after defeating a powerful wizard in a game of wits. TheCubingCuber was also an accomplished speedcuber who had recently acquired the highly coveted Tengyun v1 speedcube.

One day, while they were practicing their speedcubing skills by the lake, they noticed a group of ducks gathered around a strange object. It was a Rubik's cube, but it was different from anything they had ever seen before.

As they got closer, they noticed that the cube was glowing with a strange energy. Suddenly, the cube opened up, revealing a small, glowing duck inside. The duck introduced herself as Rubikia, the goddess of speedcubing, and explained that she had been trapped inside the cube for centuries.

Rubikia went on to explain that she had been the one to invent the Rubik's cube, but her creations had been stolen by an evil sorcerer who had used his magical cubes for his own dark purposes. Rubikia had been trapped inside the cube by the sorcerer, but her magic had allowed him to remain alive and conscious all these years.

Feeling sorry for Rubikia and intrigued by his story, Zzoomer and TheCubingCuber asked her how they could help. Rubikia explained that she wanted to share the joy of speedcubing with the world, but she needed their help to spread the word.

Together, Zzoomer and TheCubingCuber set out to teach other ducks the art of speedcubing. They started with their own community and soon word spread to neighboring lands. Before long, speedcubing had become a popular pastime among ducks everywhere.

And that is how speedcubing came to be a thing in the mythical land of talking ducks, thanks to the efforts of Zzoomer, TheCubingCuber, and the magical Rubikia.

are cats with ducks on their heads allowed into the talking duck realm?

 

[Bingus Ringus McDingus]

Well, back on topic, I guess the original Rubik's Cube fit with the 80's toy boom and kids and adults alike likely saw it as a cool smart-person alternative to the same toy/puzzle concepts, as in just cookie-cutter corporate branded junk ("Big companies make the worst junk" - DankPods, 2022) and tedious jigsaws. And as soon as people realized it was actually difficult, people wanted to learn it as a nerdy-cool flex. And then more and more puzzles came out, and the puzzle community gained more and more of a following, both in solvers and in modders like Meffert, Fisher and Oskar. And then, after noticing some trends, it seems like neuroatypical people like me enjoy cubing because it provides satisfaction and visual & sensory stimulation

 

[fosterrr]

I think the physical aspect is what hooks a lot of people. Once people try it, they have an urge to turn faster, and it kind of becomes addicting. As for why people start in the first place, that is another good question that we may never know

 

[Spencer131]

The reason I started is because I saw my friend doing it. At first, I just wanted to learn it and be better than him. Then I wanted to be a little bit faster, then a little bit faster... Next thing you know I'm down the rabbit hole

 

[Arcanist]

Like jperm said, I feel like everyone, to some degree, starts cubing to impress people. Tbh for me it was a small aspect, I just wanted to get faster than friends, but I think it still played a small role.

 

[Cubinginatree]

Personally it was to be able to fit into my friends. My one friend had been doing it for years (just for fun) and another had gotten into speedcubing. To be able to say I could do it to and with the goal of getting faster then both of them. Now a days its just for getting PRs and having fun. I love cubing I'm glad I stuck with it.