I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time playing Disney Magic Kingdoms. This point and click, timer game with a weak, long play story line puts you in charge of your own Disney Park. It’s amazing. I’ve digitally collected Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Prince Charming, Hamm, Woody, Jessie, and Tinkerbell. I have four parade floats but can use only three of them. I also have Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Pixie Hollow, Mickey and Goofy’s houses, and a couple of concession stands. California Screamin’ was given to me as I cleared away the Disney Park land from the curse Maleficent put it under. I’m at the beginning of the game, so I don’t know what surprises are still in store for me. But I am looking forward to them.
Continue readingTag Archives: video games
Stay the F— Home: Activity #3 Video Games
Video games are a great time killer, and they improve hand-eye coordination. You’ll feel like your accomplishing something, be part of a story that is greater than you, and be able to score points. Even if all you do is point and click your way to a better-looking farm or across a raging battlefield, you’ll get to do it with no guilt, excuses, or rationalization. If you go retro, you can even visit Disneyland with the NES game! Stick to old school video games and see if you can get a perfect score on Pac-Man or challenge your friends to an online game of high scores.
Continue readingHarness the Power of Video Games
One of the reasons why video games are so popular and so easy to play for hours is because they set up quantifiable goals that allow you to understand whether you’re being successful or failing. It’s not just save the princess; it’s save the princess while scoring the most points or doing so in the fastest time. Hardcore gamers will sit for hours trying to gain levels, get treasure, discover secrets, complete side quests, and feel accomplished. Even gamers who play Match 3 games or Farmville have goals they can measure – one more level to complete or a certain score to attain. The numbers are tracked, saved, compared to your friends, and celebrated when milestones are reached.
Continue readingPoint and Click Your Life Away
Every so often, I get caught up in one of those point-and-click Facebook games, like Farmville or Castle Age, and I become totally obsessed with them. I’m building characters. I’m building farms. I’m building castles. I’m fighting monsters. I’m raking in the fake currency. I’m completing quests, and in the best of these, I’m connecting with people on the Internet I will probably never meet in person. In short, these games allow me the opportunity to feel successful and enjoy the feeling of actually building toward something. It’s a feeling that seriously lacks in real life.
No matter how many blog posts I write, how many books I sell, or how many SEO articles I write, I don’t see the results that show I am building toward something. Instead, my real life looks like I am spinning my wheels and staying afloat, with the weather and waves threatening to change all that.
These games have a time element and a rewards system. Just wait five minutes, and you get another point, or energy bolt, or gold piece to spend. Of course, you always have the option of throwing the developers some real money to get more of whatever makes the game go. The more you play, the more new lands you find the more powers you develop and the more secrets you discover.
Discovery also lacks in life, even as I seek out new experiences and new information. It seems like I am surrounded by old information that is told in different ways over and over. It’s like looking up 30 articles on heart attacks to see that chest pain is the most common symptom for men. It’s something we all know. Isn’t there anything new out there?
Recently, I got caught up in “Magic the Gathering: Arena.” It’s a great game. You collect cards and decks. You build decks, and then you battle against other people that you can’t really communicate with. It has all the elements I love: Discovery, strategy and card collecting. (I had so many Magic cards when I was in my teens and twenties.) And then there’s the winning – who doesn’t love winning? I just can’t continue on with it knowing the responsibilities I have.
These games are time- and attention-stealers. They don’t do anything to advance you forward, and if you’re like me, they suck you in and reduce your effectiveness in other areas of your life. If you’re thinking about the next reward you can get in your match three gems game or Candy Crush, you’re not thinking about how to solve other problems you’re facing or how to help other people get through life better. Yes, they are fun, and if you can play them in moderation, more power to you. I, however, cannot. Now, if there were a point-and-click game that translated into helping people. That might be a game worth getting lost in.
If you’re going to point and click anyway, try one of my adventure choice stories. You’ll be helping me out and get a good story, too!
Penguinate! Positive Creativity 