How much time do you waste playing games on your phone or tablet? Playing games on our electronic devices has become like second nature to most of us. Are you waiting too long for the doctor? Waiting for your computer to turn on? Play a game on your phone. I have become so used to filling every spare moment with activity that I find myself playing something whenever I have some time to fill. Waiting on line at the supermarket always seems to take forever. For some reason, someone on my line always has some sort of problem that requires the manager, which means more waiting and waiting. Good thing I always have my phone.
I have lots of games on my phone that I don’t even play anymore. I played them obsessively after I downloaded them, and then I just lost interest. Of course there’s that one board of 4 Pics One Word that I’ve been stuck on for the last few weeks so I’m not going back there until inspiration strikes again. Do you ever play a game on a roll- feeling like you’re on fire and you must be the most clever person in the world- and then you get a board that totally stumps you? So I leave it for a while so that I don’t feel bad about myself and my intellectual capabilities. I do not have Flappy Birds, so I never got caught up in that frenzy, but maybe I should have, because then I could have sold my phone for a nice little profit when the game became unavailable. Remember that craziness? I don’t understand that game designer at all for taking it off the app store. I have this fantasy of creating the greatest app ever, cashing out, and then living on my own private island. Or maybe luxury penthouse? Decisions, decisions… Well, this is not a pressing dilemma for now-I guess I can cross that bridge when I get there.
The other day I was waiting for a friend. We were supposed to meet and go to dinner. He kept me waiting and waiting. I was quite annoyed, but thankfully, there is always a game at my fingertips to help pass the time. When we finally met up, he explained that he had been stuck on a board and couldn’t leave until he cracked it. Unapologetically, I might add, like it’s perfectly normal and acceptable to keep people waiting because you’re playing an absorbing game. It’s interesting how just when life is as busy as it’s ever been, we find ways to waste our time. Is playing downtime, or is it a waste of time that decreases our downtime? I wonder…
