I’ve always been fond of games, and I think language is very similar. It has rules, and things don’t make sense if you don’t follow them.

I like trying to figure out who committed a crime in the fiction I read or watch, and coming up with a well-reasoned argument in defence of a particular position, or solving a technical problem, is very similar. It’s all about looking at something as a challenge, evaluating different variables and responses, and then seeing how something you decided plays out in the end.

I always get a rush of adrenalin when I look at a puzzle and ponder the best approach to dealing with it. It’s even more enjoyable when you have someone like-minded with whom you can banter and debate. Because there is always more than one approach to everything, and it can be fun to choose between several good possibilities.

Small changes to a document can have a trickle-down effect to something as a whole. Call it an example of the butterfly effect. So, it can be particularly satisfying when you carefully consider a seemingly minor detail, knowing that it may not actually have a minor impact, and watch as it ends up being the right choice in the end.