Games and perspective

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In a game like this treasure hunt the solution lies in the ability to decipher what went through the designer's mind. If you followed behind me, in my exact tire tracks, only moments after, you would have seen something different. It still would have required you to do some thinking to figure out what it is that I saw. Perspective! Several years back the medallion was on a telephone pole located on the corner of two streets. The pole was sunk in the edge of the wedge where the two sidewalks intersected. The medallion was on the inside of the intersection, facing the house on the corner, away from the street. It was attached to the pole by a Phillips screw and sunk about an inch into the ground, clearly visible if one looked. A fellow that played the game every day also walked his dog every morning about 9:00am before going to work. He often carried the riddle and clues with him to look over while the dog dallied as dogs do some times. As he explained to me later, there was a fire hydrant next to that telephone pole that his male dog found to be of great interest. He would lean on the telephone pole, reading and thinking about the riddle and clues while his dog followed his instincts regarding that fire hydrant. Almost every day of the four months the game took to be solved. There were a couple occasions the dog found interest in the telephone pole too, all around it in fact. While this guy diligently tried to decipher the riddle and clues. Someone else found it just after he went on one of his dog walks. Perspective!

That's what games are all about. Last night Michigan had the perspective, Michigan State didn't. They were left at the doorstep. Both excellent teams with loads of talent. Such is the way of games. Two more seconds and perhaps a different outcome. Don't get caught leaning on the pole while someone else does the looking.