Braingle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Braingle is a brain teaser website featuring over 10,000 brain teasers, riddles, logic problems, and mind puzzles. The goal of the website was to contain all known brain teasers. That goal may never be reached. The site has been made by a user by the name of Jake.
Rather than one person updating the site with new teasers, any user may submit a teaser that is reviewed by a team of editors and can be added to the site. Users (often called Brainglers) can also rank teasers for difficulty and enjoyability.
Braingle was launched publicly in January 2001 and is maintained by Jake Olefsky. Although maintenance is often required, the website is set up so that it may be run completely by its users. Actions such as submitting, rating, and correcting brain teasers give users points. These points act as an incentive for users to help out the website. Many checks, however, are in place to prevent a malicious user from intentionally voting down a rival's teasers or submitting faulty corrections merely for points. Although most aspects of the website are open to regular users, there is a week long waiting period before the forum and chat room become available and point requirements to be able to submit, review and correct teasers; report duplicates; and verify corrections and duplicates.
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[edit] Mentalrobics
A section called Mentalrobics is included. Mentalrobics are exercises and articles designed to help people have better memories, think more creatively, improve their vocabulary and reduce stress. In February 2006, Mentalrobics' own website was created.
[edit] Games
Braingle also has several online multiplayer games, some of which are unique to the website. Such games include Food Fight (a game similar to many MMORPGs, but more text-based) and Cookie World (a game involving baking cookies and managing a cookie store). The site also has many classic games such as chess and checkers. These games are set up so that users can play each other. A ladder system is included that rewards players more points for defeating a player closer in rank to them than a player further away. Brainglers can now also submit links to fun online games, which go through an editing process similar to that of the brainteasers.
[edit] Community
A section called Community lets fellow Brainglers communicate with each other. There is a Message Board where users can create topics for discussion, questions that need to be answered, or hold games. Talk boxes allow a "mini Message Board" environment between a group of select Brainglers, invited by the owner of the talk box. Users can also send each other Private Messages. A wiki allows each Braingler to personalize 5 pages (more if they subscribe). Colors, images, links, and games are among the many things included in wikis.
[edit] Subscribers
Subscribers have special privileges. Among these privileges, they have a special forum for "subscribers only" in the Message Board. They are also allowed more forum search options. While regular users get to submit two teasers at a time, the subscribers get to submit either 5 or 20 at a time, depending on the subscription. They have no limits on the number of teasers in their watchlist. The subscribers also are allowed more pages on their wikis, with no word limits, and more quota in their mailboxes. There are two types of subscriptions, standard ($20) and premium ($30).
[edit] Additional Facts
Braingle released a book in 2005 called Everything Brain Strain Book: Over 400 Puzzles, Riddles, And Mind-Benders To Flex Your Mental Muscles [1].
Braingle has a sister site, Wocka, which uses the same basic community mechanics but is used for jokes rather than brain teasers.
