Forget everything I taught you about cubing, it’s wrong.

Well, that’s a bit extreme, but I have painted a picture of cubing that is less than accurate. In fact the mistake that I’ve made is one that a lot of beginning cubers make. If there was a proper understanding of this topic there would be a larger cubing community today.

In “So You Must Be REALLY Good at Math, Right?” I discussed how speedcubing isn’t actually as hard as it is perceived to be. In “All Cubers are Autistic” I discussed stereotypes against speedcubers, referring to one of the best speedcubers today, Max Park. And in “A Cuber on the Unemployment Line,” I discussed the benefit of speedcubing as a hobby.

Sensing a trend? With the exception of 1 blog, I’ve only discussed cubing through the lense of speedcubing.

Collin Burns sets the world record of 5.25 seconds in 2015. The current world record is 4.22 seconds.

I know what you’re thinking if you’re not a cuber, “There’s a difference?!!?”

Yes! The fact that this is not apparent is detrimental towards the growth of the hobby, as it limits what people think they can do as a part of the community. What else does the cubing community have to offer and why is this not more apparent?

The Modder:

Mod: Short for modification. When someone changes the functionality, appearance, shape, size, etc. of a puzzle.

Within the sub-set of modder there are many other subsets:

There are those that mod stickers (that’s what I do, it’s the easiest one).

Some people take existing speed puzzles and make them better (this is slowly dying as we get services like cubicle pro shop/cubicle labs and better puzzle mechanisms in general).

And finally, what most cubers think of, the modder that acts almost as a sculptor, cutting, sanding, and building up puzzles to create uniquely shaped cubes that turn in interesting new ways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=515&v=JTe4O7PW73Q

The YouTuber:

Known as the “Youcuber” these individuals create content for cubers to watch, usually on YouTube. Youcubers often fit into other categories as well, with the majority of videos about unboxing puzzles, reviewing them, and making tutorials from a speedcuber’s perspective.

Other YouCubers focus on pure entertainment or historical information.

The Speedcuber:

We’ve arrived to the classic cuber archetype: the one who can solve a puzzle quickly and competes in WCA competitions.

Why is this the most common picture of a cuber?

Articles about cubing in the news offer some insight:

“Teen breaks record for blind-solving Rubik’s cube”

“New Jersey Rubik’s Cube champion gets into Princeton” (Hey that’s my friend Daniel!)

“Rubik’s Cube championship in Salt Lake City draws hundreds of puzzlers”

None of these articles are talking about modding cubes or making videos. For those who don’t know anything about cubing, speedsolving is both the most accessible and intriguing topic related to cubing. So non-cubers hear about cubing through speedcubing, and of course cubers start cubing as non-cubers too, so their introduction to the hobby is through speedsolving as well. No matter the demographic we all seem to start at speedcubing.

It doesn’t have to be this way. If we have better cubing communicators, we can do a  better job of portraying all aspects of cubing to help grow other parts of the hobby.

The Others:

Puzzle designer- Similar to modders, but they don’t modify, they create. This can mean making speed puzzles mechanisms for a company or 3D printing some of the most intense puzzles in existence.

WCA delegate- Not to be confused with a speedcuber, these individuals spend their time organizing and running cubing competitions. At high levels of the WCA some members with higher titles than delegate can even be in charge of whole regions of countries, WCA rules and regulations, or the WCA budget.

Cube science- Though currently this is basically one person, Chris Tran, it will certainly grow in the future (I hope to contribute one day as a materials science major). Chris applied his chemistry knowledge from years of education to develop cubing technology that has become integral in cubing hardware today through Cubicle Labs and Angstrom Research. Chris Tran is proof that any cuber with a good idea can create a whole new subset of cubing.

Collectors- Pretty self-explanatory, they try to get the rarest and hardest puzzles out there.

Solvers- Many people are not interested in speed, rather they want to learn how to solve the thousands of types of puzzles that aren’t solved for speed in WCA competitions. Often these are much harder.

I did my best to share examples of people who fit only one category, but this is difficult to do. I consider myself a little bit of everything listed in the title plus a collector. I’m sure there are cubers that could fit basically every category, while others are happy within their niches.

So maybe you try cubing and find that speedsolving is not for you. Don’t quit, there’s plenty left to be discovered in the cubing community.