Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about smartphone games.
My number one way to waste time used to be Facebook. When I wasn’t trying to decide if I should approve a friend request from someone I haven’t seen since 1996 or wildly untagging incriminating photos of myself, I used Facebook to play games. When I quit a couple of years ago, there was a Lexulous-shaped hole in my heart.
Thankfully, my smartphone was happy to step in.
I’ve only used my phone three times this week to speak to another human being, but I’ve easily spent 15 hours playing puzzle games. Feel free to judge that last statement all you want. In my defense, I’m a college student on summer vacation. In reality, it is totally normal for me to play endless hours of games on my phone any given day of the year, in school or out.
In order to combat my increasingly short attention span, I made a solemn vow to myself: If I’m going to play video games like a hypercaffeinated teenager, they had to be SMART games, games that engaged the word part of my brain as well as the visual part. I’ve got one non-engaging game for every four brainy ones. Here are my top three:
Bookworm
The premise is simple: Arrange the tiles to form a word, the word disappears and the tiles drop. The more you drop, the more points you get. Eventually you start getting some tiles that are ON FIRE; if they touch the bottom your game is over. If you move through enough levels, you get fancy tiles that prevent the burning tiles from touching the ground. I could play this game in my sleep, but rearranging things to form words makes me feel like I’m really doing something cerebral. (I realize that I’m not. Just let me have this.)
Words With Friends
Scrabble for your phone, and you can challenge real life friends. There’s also a little chat window that’s great for smack talking.
Text Twist
You’re given six tiles with letters on them. Your goal is to make as many words as you can in the allotted 2 minutes. If you haven’t formed at least one word using all six tiles by the end of 2 minutes, you’re fucking OUT. It’s a little anxiety inducing if you’re losing, but totally exciting if you get it.
I really need to get out of the house more.
What games are you playing?
About DanielleH
Oh, this post is dangerous. DANGEROUS.
Twitter Name: DTKMMeLookCrazy
I am hopelessly addicted to Solitaire. It’s crazy. I play for hours. I use the Sol Free app on my iPhone.
My new addiction is a little app called Let’s Create! Pottery! You actually get to throw and shape the pots on your phone, then fire them, then paint them and sell them and buy more decorations and whatnot. SO MUCH TIME WASTED MAKING FAKE POTTERY.
I also play Zombie Farm, Tetris, and Bubblefree.
Twitter Name: milliondreammom
Words with Friends and Angry Birds. I blame Angry Birds on my son. I would have never tried it if he had not gotten it, and now I can’t stop playing.
Twitter Name: Kimanism
GAMES ARE A GREAT WASTE OF TIME….