Spicing up the everyday routine: the video games way
Aditya Deshbandhu
Video games can be many things to their players from sites of storytelling and puzzle solving to safe spaces for dabbling with various cultural pursuits like music and culinary activities. They are also often a reason to form friendships and build communities as the magic from games leaks into our lives, offering us new perspectives and making sense of our realities.
However, despite the many things video games can be, sometimes they are, at their core, a great way to unwind from a long day, a moment of respite from unending to-do lists, and at times uplifters of mood. This article offers you six great games across three categories that you can play on your mobile phones on-the-go, whenever you find a minute or two for yourself.
- Finding patterns in the tedium: The two games in this category are ideal for those who find joy in puzzle solving. One of the games here offers puzzles that require you to be observant and react quickly while the other needs you to change the way you perceive space and dimensions.
- Monument Valley 1 and 2: Some of the greatest games ever made for the mobile phone, these classics are still immemorial when it comes to breaking classic modes of thinking. The puzzles here require you to not only see things differently but also challenge you to rethink basic navigational attributes like directions, rotation, and elevation. These games rely on both a player’s observation and willingness to tap into the intuitive.
- The second game is more explicit with the story it wishes to tell. With a very simplistic but colourful design that judiciously uses remarkably straight lines, there is a lot here to just sit back and admire as you mull possible solutions. Make sure to enjoy the hauntingly beautiful background score as you play the game. Both Monument Valleys are great value for money and are often on discount, but can, on rare occasions, be found for free on both iOS and Android.
Two Dots: The successor to the iconic Dots, Two Dots does a lot of the things the original did – it allows you to match dots of the same colour for long lines, has extremely rewarding accompanying sounds, and bonuses for forming squares and rectangles. Two Dots tries to extend the magic further by introducing a variety of levels, an increasing variety of special dots, and unique conditions to elevate the challenge. The levels are guaranteed to fly past in this one until you begin to get stuck with the truly complex ones. A great momentary diversion that also gets you to refocus on the tasks at hand, Two Dots is free to play.
2. Numbers, numbers all the way: These games focus on your ability to play with numbers. While one game is all about rapid addition and your ability to perceive additive patterns, the other is card-based and uses the classic Uno deck in an innovative way.
- 2048: Describing 2048 is rather tricky, the best thing to do is to play it and experience it firsthand. However, if one were to describe it, it is a game based on quick addition of numbers that are progressive multiples of 2 (2,4,8,16,32, 64…) with the trick being that you add two 2s to get 4 and two 4s to get 8, however you cannot add a 2 with a 4 or a 4 with an 8. This game is as much about addition as it is about the management of space as you work your way towards the coveted 2048. My highest score over the years is 8192. 2048 is free to play and now even available on a few flights as part of their entertainment package.
- Skip-Bo: From Mattel, the makers of the classic game Uno, Skip-Bo offers a solitaire-like experience with the cards from Uno. The deck does not include the reverse, skip, and draw cards, and wonderfully repurposes the classic ‘Wild’ card to get players to clear sets of cards akin to Solitaire. Most levels have an added twist as players are expected to also achieve additional goals apart from clearing the cards. With the classic, puzzle, and multiplayer modes and several additional new levels, this is a free-to-play game that will keep you riveted for a while.
3. In the search for flow: These games are less about solving puzzles and testing your mind and more about transporting yourself into a soothing reality – one where you can experience a state of flow and find the necessary calm to soothe a crazy day. The first game on this list is a scenic explorer with a unique Zen mode and the second has a strong story accompanied by some wonderful music.
- Alto’s Adventure and Odyssey: Two games nearly as beautiful as Monument Valley, these games are more about sliding/skiing across spectacular backgrounds accompanied by beautiful music. Both games, extremely popular with legions of fans, offer different kinds of experiences: the successor, Odyssey, also adds a unique Zen mode, where players can endlessly slide with no consequences. If clarity and peace is what you seek then the music and visual splendor on offer here can be spellbinding.
- Deemo and Deemo II: These games are some of the most complex ones when it comes to recreating music. Games set around the playing of piano music and mastery of precise timing for various classical tunes, Deemo II is not just free-to-play but also more elaborate with a very powerful story, a wonderfully designed open world, and a fantastic flow-based experience around music playing. These could be your go-to games if you are seeking both fun and the ability to play some music. Nothing like a good tune to lighten the day, even better if you are playing the tune.
There are many more games that you can consider throughout the day depending on what you desire from your gaming pursuits. If a day-after-day challenge is what you seek, may I recommend the collection of word games from NY times – Connections, Wordle, Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, and the just released Strands? Or, if you prefer gaming on social media then LinkedIn offers its own roster with Queens, Pinpoint, and Crossclimb. If none of these meet your palette, may I recommend some multiplayer action with the very popular Pokémon Unite? There is a whole world of games out there to give you an outlet before you get on to the next task on your list.
Now then, I must go! I have emails to send and some articles to draft and not to mention compile a readings list for a new course.
Aditya Deshbandhu is a lecturer of communications, digital media sociology at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the author of the books Gaming Culture(s) in India: Digital Play in Everyday Life and the just released, The 21st Century in a Hundred games. He can be reached at a.deshbandhu@exeter.ac.uk.
