The importance of the Minesweeper game on Windows can’t be understated. It’s been there since Windows in the 1990s and is now debuting on the ugly Christmas sweater scene, replete with scores, a pixelated avatar, mines on the sleeves, and the classic grid-hiding mines. On the scale of ugly sweaters, it might attract Windows fans who have a taste for computer nostalgia and includes the 90s Windows insignia. As The Verge notes, Microsoft sold an MS Paint ugly jumper last year. SEE: Windows 11: Here’s how to get Microsoft’s free operating system update The Minesweeper ugly sweater is for a good cause, with Microsoft pledging $100,000 of ugly sweater sales to AbleGamers, a non-profit that aims to help people deal with isolation in the pandemic through games. It also supports Microsoft’s ambitions to make Windows and browsers more accessible for people with disabilities. “When it comes to holiday sweater parties, there’s only one strategically sound move: this old-school Minesweeper sweater,” says Microsoft in a tongue-in-cheek promotion. “Flash back to one of the first games available to play with Windows, and help AbleGamers create new, happy memories for people with disabilities.” Unfortunately, the Xbox online store indicates that only the small, XL, and 2XL sizes are still available. In other words, Microsoft’s ugly sweater ode to Minesweeper has sold like hotcakes. Microsoft has also released “throwback Windows game-inspired virtual backgrounds, printable crafts, and even the 90s version of Minesweeper to satisfy your nostalgic cravings this holiday season.” So, even if you can’t buy the ugly sweater, you can still give your Windows background a 90s-inspired Minesweeper make-over for Teams video calls.
