All very interesting thoughts, I went through basically that whole conflict myself the first time I decided to not finish a puzzle.

Here’s how I look at it: a puzzle is fundamentally a challenge to see if you can solve it. (Maybe people will disagree with me on that, but in my mind, that’s what it is.) So as soon as I have finished enough of it that I can say “Yep, I’ve solved it. Only trivial moves are left. Even a baby could finish this puzzle.” it no longer is a puzzle to me. I’ve proven that I can do it, and that is the satisfying part to me.

If someone else has a different goal for puzzles (eg. they want to view the unblemished art) then maybe that line of thinking doesn’t really follow. As with all games, you can decide how to play - do whatever brings you the most satisfaction.

That actually brings me to another point. There is immense social pressure in games to play the games the “right” way. However, there is no wrong way to enjoy your recreation time (as long as you are not harming someone of course). Rule books are a suggestion, not a fact of life. Heck, there are more house rules in Monopoly than there are real rules.

Anyway, sorry about the rant, your line of thought was very interesting to me, thank you for sharing!