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Casual games and other time-efficient/episodic entertainment!
Frosty the Snow Plow
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
About a half a year ago, I decided that the best way to focus on my goals was to eliminate distractions beforehand.
The short version? It worked.
I basically cleaned up and cleaned out my big mess of a room not just of it's trash, but of what I considered dangerous distractions. My room essentially became an office. No TV, no gaming consoles, nothing but a bed, a couch, exercise equipment, clothes, a notepad, and a laptop. It was beautiful, I got a ridiculous amount of work done and, because of that, been probably the happiest I've ever been.
What I have been doing for entertainment is just either browsing the internet, or watching all those big HBO series' that everyone said were great (Deadwood, The Wire, Treme, christ I love HBO). While that's done real well until now, I crave that interactivity and feedback that games offered. I still get restless just passively watching a show. But when I pull out the 360 for a few days, I either feel like I'm wasting my time or prove myself right by playing until the sun rises.
It occurred to me that there is a class of games that are tailored for short bursts of play. Ones where you can play for 30 minutes and put them down, feeling satisfied. I think people here will know what I mean, that idea of those games, the Mass Effects and the Red Deads (for recent examples), that just make you unavailable for the next few days until you have conquered it completely. The kind that could come up at midterm and really fuck you. I love those games to death, but I kinda can't afford to be playing them.
--
So, casual games.
I don't know what else to elaborate on. Just, whatever anyone can suggest for games that work well in short, self-contained sessions. Platforms available to me are the internet and the 360 (with Live).
Either that or other suggestions for condensed entertainment. For example, those HBO shows work really well. Well-written, compelling, like a good book you are transported somewhere else for a while, to feel consequence, but without consequence. Each episode feels like an investment, and while there are obviously hooks to keep you watching, they are inherently episodic, easy to put down and pick up later. I wasn't real hot about Alan Wake, but the actual format of that game was pretty interesting for similar reasons.
The short version? It worked.
I basically cleaned up and cleaned out my big mess of a room not just of it's trash, but of what I considered dangerous distractions. My room essentially became an office. No TV, no gaming consoles, nothing but a bed, a couch, exercise equipment, clothes, a notepad, and a laptop. It was beautiful, I got a ridiculous amount of work done and, because of that, been probably the happiest I've ever been.
What I have been doing for entertainment is just either browsing the internet, or watching all those big HBO series' that everyone said were great (Deadwood, The Wire, Treme, christ I love HBO). While that's done real well until now, I crave that interactivity and feedback that games offered. I still get restless just passively watching a show. But when I pull out the 360 for a few days, I either feel like I'm wasting my time or prove myself right by playing until the sun rises.
It occurred to me that there is a class of games that are tailored for short bursts of play. Ones where you can play for 30 minutes and put them down, feeling satisfied. I think people here will know what I mean, that idea of those games, the Mass Effects and the Red Deads (for recent examples), that just make you unavailable for the next few days until you have conquered it completely. The kind that could come up at midterm and really fuck you. I love those games to death, but I kinda can't afford to be playing them.
--
So, casual games.
I don't know what else to elaborate on. Just, whatever anyone can suggest for games that work well in short, self-contained sessions. Platforms available to me are the internet and the 360 (with Live).
Either that or other suggestions for condensed entertainment. For example, those HBO shows work really well. Well-written, compelling, like a good book you are transported somewhere else for a while, to feel consequence, but without consequence. Each episode feels like an investment, and while there are obviously hooks to keep you watching, they are inherently episodic, easy to put down and pick up later. I wasn't real hot about Alan Wake, but the actual format of that game was pretty interesting for similar reasons.
Frosty the Snow Plow on
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The best bet would be flash games on the internet. Try Newgrounds.com Their games portal has a ton of good stuff. Just go by whats been rated the highest.
Most flash games are just deep enough to be engaging, but short enough that you dont lose too much time in them. Though that is quickly becoming passe'.
look at the growing addiction by bored housewives to farmville on facebook.
so be careful if you go down that path.
http://chainfactor.com/ here is a flash one i like.
If you have an iphone/ipad I recommend my current favorite ten minute fixes : Neuroshima Hex or Tilt to Live.
Beware Flash games! You could potentially blow more productive time on what you think is a casual game because it appears that you aren't investing much time.
I'm not near financially secure enough to have an iPhone.
http://crawl.develz.org/wordpress/
It's a roguelike, very niche, but extremely challenging, addictive, and perfectly casual.
I play it usually about a half to and hour a day in short pieces; crawl a few levels every day when the kids are eating. If I manage to get a character going for a while and leave it to come back again the next day it's very satisfying and exciting to resume something that's working well.
It also magically forces me to take breaks cause when you get far then die it can really irritate. However, the problem is always something I could have avoided had I slowed down and thought things through.
So I always come back within a day or two.
i'm not sure if i'd describe it as casual (some of it quite hardcore indeed), but it's basically like playing with legos. you go build awesome stuff, then build more awesome stuff.
then you get eaten by a zombie or whatever
relevant links here if you wanna find out more:
http://www.minecraft.net/ <-- official site for the game
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=128693 <-- G&T thread for the game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVFTmqXFLX8
I think what you need it something divided into distinct levels, or for multiplayer, games that end instead of just going on and on.
It's generally considered a hardcore game, but I reckon Starcraft 2 would fit the bill. You could just play a level here or there, or jump online and play a single game. And you probably don't need to worry about sucking, because there are still a lot of bad people out there and the matchmaking system is pretty good.
I usually play about 2 games a night of NHL 11 which takes up about a half hour... Because each game takes up about 15 minutes, there's plenty of break points where I can get up and turn off the xbox.
And yeah, like I said, I know there are the popcaps and the like that pull you in much worse that are considered casual. Minecraft specifically ain't a game tailored for short stints if you actually have designs on building things.
I should figure out what happened to my steam account with TF2 on it.
I would suggest a hobby like sculpture or wood burning to eat up some time in a productive way as well.
All the kind of games you play, ladder or custom, will end eventually. (Give it more or less an hour per round)
You play a round and drop it. It's casual yet pretty competitive/hardcore at the same time.
Plants vs Zombies
Both are fairly addictive, but only take a short while to beat. Then you end up with two games you can play very casually.
Check back at the clock when you can so you can properly pace yourself and to allow yourself to finish up for your next gaming session or allow you time to go back to your save points.
God I hate save points. Think you only were going to play for an hour? Not anymore.
EDIT: Get one with a loud ticking sound. Because it keeps you from getting so into the game that it's now 4am and it allows you to be more aware of how time is passing.
Wifey and I used to be whoa hardcore but since TBC have become strictly casual, an hour here or there. Maybe on the weekends we'll play for 3-4 hours together at most. No more all-night pvp benders.
Kudos on being able to clean out the distractions in the first place. Many people can't, and wallow in the shallow end of life.
If there's someone you have an extremely solid relationship with, and who also is decent at gaming, you could even try the co-op. Just be warned - accidentally killing them six times in a row is one thing, but they'll turn on you if they think you're doing it on purpose.
this site has a bunch of fairly short flash games (some long ones too), i know i'd be more productive if work blocked it.
You'll play for about ten minutes, die in an incredibly cheap way, and be pissed off enough that you don't want to faff around in the early levels again for a day or two.