I kill time playing games on my phone. I think I ought to find something more productive to do.
One game keeps chucking ads at me because I refuse to pay a subscription for it. I got a screenshot of one of the ads, because it made me a little sad.
First of all, it's not a good idea to stay awake for three days straight. I'm sure that's not news to you. And yes, I know they're trying to get across the idea that this game is so fun it's addictive. But is that really a good thing?
Anyone who's been to a casino has seen the unsmiling focus of the people playing games. They may be having fun, in a way, but they are working hard. The stimulation that takes us out of ourselves seems to be the biggest draw for addictive activities that don't involve ingesting chemicals. Despite having no physical addictive component outside the body, degenerate gamblers will follow that addiction to ruin as certainly as any alcoholic or drug addict. Is portable gaming becoming the same way, so much so that advertisers can joke about it?
Some games try to make it seem that they are downright healthy for you:
To say the least, the jury is out on whether games sharpen the mind. Some studies say maybe, some say maybe not. Am I going to put in 30-60 hours a month to find out? I think not.
Who the heck has the time for this? Most of us have work or school or just a lot of things to do to keep the joint in order. Everyone I know who has happiness and purpose in life has things to do. Games don't count. I like to relax with something dumb, but at some point it stops being relaxing.
I've seen this kind of behavior before. It could be someone who ignores what he or she ought to do and just does crossword puzzles or Sudoku. It usually strikes me as a crutch for depression -- when nothing seems worth doing, but you're awake so you have to pass the time somehow. And this game will keep you awake for three days!
I don't know if app games are going to be linked to America's drug and/or obesity crises. I'm just saying that they don't help.
Of course, what people ought to be doing is reading books on Kindle and Nook and other apps. Specifically, my books! My books make you smarter, healthier, and better looking. It's scientifically proven! Are you going to argue with science?
Mrs. Mongo likes a game called "Words With Friends". It's like Scrabble, but you don't play it non-stop (or at least she doesn't). You make a word, send it to your opponent, and they eventually make a counter play. Sometimes it's overnight before the response comes in. Like the folks in the 1800s who played chess across the miles mailing one word per letter. Games took years.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Words with Friends the game that got Alec Baldwin on trouble on the airplane? Although that man could incite a riot at a baptism.
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