Well no, I don’t have a gaming console or whatever the heck this old granny is holding, I don’t understand any of that, and, having had a “cell phone” for 20 years, long before the phones had all the bells and whistles, and never having played any kind of games on my phone but, after a fashion, solitaire, which made me feel all gamey and wild, I have started playing a few games on my phone. I don’t begin to understand them at all. Except for the couple of word games I’ve come to enjoy and am pretty good at (for me, and I know lots of people are world’s better than me even at these) I only play 2 or 3. I keep a few now because you get to a certain level, or have a certain number of tries and then it tells you you have “run out of lives.” At that point they want you to pay to continue and I don’t pay for anything. I simply back out of the game that is trying to lure me into paying, and go onto one of the other ones.
Now not long ago I finally decided to try the game “Angry Birds.” For years I have been horrified by the very name, feeling that it sounded all angry and mean and I am not that way. But when you start playing any kind of games at all, and you can’t afford to pay for anything, you get lots of “commercials” showing other games and I kind of got tickled by the one for Angry Birds, and I loved it! I had so much fun. And I got a ways along but finally you just couldn’t do anything without paying. I deleted it from my phone.
I love the word games but damn, some of them are hard. I have found that I do most of the game, then it gets to the hard part, and if I back out and go to something else and come back the next day I can usually see the word I couldn’t before. And keeping a couple of word games on my phone I switch back and forth, go as far as I can, and then switch, and then quit.
Here’s the thing. There are two that I love and they delight me no end and I am so embarrassed to admit that I even play one of them I am blushing typing this. This one, of course, is Candy Crush. And the thing is I played it for some time just whizzing through all the levels and then IT GOT HARDER THAN A GAME THAT LOOKS SO SILLY OUGHT TO! But, like with the word games, I found another game I like and when I “run out of lives” or just plain get stuck I switch to the other one. The other one I found that I really like is called “Clockmaker.” Now here’s the thing. Candy Crush looks easy but that isn’t necessarily so. Clockmaker is more strategic and much harder, for me, but I have come along quite away because, well, I just keep trying, and the funny thing about both of these is that I have no idea what is going on at all. I win, or I don’t, but I just keep trying, and eventually, and sometimes, as with Clockmaker, I might have to try a jillion times to get to the next level but here’s the thing… I never have any idea why I win or lose with either of these games, I just keep on trying. When I “run out of lives” I quit, go onto the next game, and when I run out of these I quit for the day.
And there are only certain times I play the games. (Okay, this is an awful thing to admit…) I play when I am in the bathroom for an extended period of time (I am positively fuschia I am blusing so hard!), I play sometimes while I am listening to an audio book while I am having dinner. I turn the sound off on the game and kill 2 birds with one stone. That is how people who live alone do things. I play when I am in my cozy chair with Molly where we sleep when it is too late to watch something on Netflix because I will fall right to sleep as soon as it’s on and I’m way too tired to read. A few games and I’m ready to turn out the light. And I play, once in a blue moon, when its the middle of the night and I have woken up after a terrible, scary dream and I am afraid to go back to sleep. A few games sets me right and I am able to go back to sleep. I appreciate this a lot even though, as I said, I’ve no clue why I win or lose, I just keep playing until I win.
And Lordy, I get so invested (this is so embarrassing) that, like tonight, over dinner, when I was especially tired and frustrated and couldn’t even progress with, for God’s sakes, Candy Crush, that I swear at my phone, I swear like a sailor, there are F-Bombs shooting out left and right. It startles poor Molly so she will up and go in the other room. She’s far too ladylike to sit there and listen to that. But I tell you I’ve had a bit of a shaky, nervous day and I wanted to get to the next damned level even if I had no clue how I got there.
I’m still upset about Angry Birds. Maybe now that I have the system of having a few games and switching to a different one when I “run out of lives” I could play it. I absolutely will not spend a penny on any of these games, but, well, I have found that they serve a purpose for me. I do not get into playing games all day but in the middle of the night or on an especially long foray into the bathroom they help things “move along.”
I can’t believe that I wrote this blog post but it was this or nothing. It’s been that kind of day. Maybe I’ll check out Angry Birds. Maybe not. I won’t be able to figure out why I’m winning or losing with that either, but it gives me something to do. Who’d have thought?
I kind of hope no one reads this blog post. This is so embarrassing…
Thank you for your support!
Oh Maitri, You are so cute. I LOVE playing games. They relax me and yes, playing games and listening to a class or a podcast keeps me awake too. I go to pogo.com and bowl, play canasta, Gin Rummy, but monopoly is my favorite. I also play word with friends on FB or on my ipad app.
My game in the bathroom is a hand held yahtzee machine that I’ve had for awhile. It helps me relax and “go”.
No my life is not all gaming but when I play I enjoy. So I hope you continue to enjoy too.
Hugs, Jean
Oh Jean, it sounds like you are having so much fun. And BOWLING! I’ve never heard of pogo.com. I’ll check it out, but there are already so many games and apps on my iPhone, more than I could ever use or try that I think I’m good. I DID see a gin rummy game and almost downloaded it. I love gin rummy. I might just try that. I grew up playing it and played with friends as an adult. And Lordy! I also grew up playing Yahtzee! I don’t even remember how to play it! You know the thing I always wanted to learn to play but was scared because it seems so complicated? Mah Jong. I wonder…
Oh yes, I will continue on as I do, a little here and there. I’m not fanatical about it, just enjoy it when I’m relaxing and it helps so much. I’m tickled to hear that you enjoy them too… 🙂
My game-vice of choice is Freecell, a version of solitaire. It’s perfect for when I don’t want to read it think. I have played it so much that sometimes I have seen the cards behind my eyeballs as I’ve drifted off to sleep! There’s my confession…
About the fancy controller in the picture: I never switched over to the complicated devices when Nintendo first came out. I liked the simplicity of my Atari joystick, so when it felt like I had to do the hokey-pokey to play a video game, I simply quit. Probably saved myself years of lost time in front of the TV trying to unlock one more level… 😉
That should have said “read OR think.” :p
Ah Victoria I’ve never heard of Freecell but I love Solitaire. It truly is something you can just do without thinking and I find that relaxing. And Lordy I would never get one of those controllers or things people use. Couldn’t afford them, wouldn’t begin to know how to use them. I’m happy just puttering away on my phone! 🙂
We all do it. Lol
Ha ha ha, I know a lot of people who don’t but it sure has brought me a great deal of peace and happiness when I’ve needed it. What do you like to play Karen?
Not me, but that’s my choice. Some people are really good at these games but not me, and I am ok with that.
🙂
Dear Maitri,
I love how you write with such truth and presence. I am happy you have something that keeps you engaged and enjoying life when you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go to sleep and something you enjoy doing during down time and bathroom time. I love your human bean-ness!
much love,
Shari
Why thank you Shari sweetie, you are so kind, and yes, this human bean has great fun with my little games and in the wee hours of the morning when I can’t go back to sleep they have saved me! 🙂
hi maitri – you never have to apologize to any of us for enjoying whatever gives you pleasure. even frustrating pleasure, like, for me, a really hard crossword puzzle that i finally finish. now and again i pick up one of the many decks of cards we have in the house (we kind of collect them from places we’ve visited: acadia national park, i have some hawaiian cards i picked up when visiting a friend there, we have cards from puerto rico where alana and her beau recently went, plus i have a deck of Cat Cards with all different cats. when i am in-between, and just wanting to relax, a break out a set, and play solitaire. if i “win” i put the cards away. if i don’t i might play two more hands. that’s it. And then i’m off to the next thing. Sure, i could be doing yoga, or weeding my garden, or writing the great american novel, but hey, down time is very important for us creatives, in fact, for anyone and everyone. keep on keeping on. and blushing looks good on you, sweetie.
xo
ka
Ah Katya I wasn’t apolgizing, just being kind of silly!
And I LOVE that you have all of these wonderful decks of cards and switch them up. What a wonderful thing to have collected on your travels. And solitaire is my all time favorite game. I played it from the time I was a little girl on. As an only child, and now an adult who lives alone, it’s the best thing, so comforting somehow. And it just rests the brain, you don’t have to think or work or read you can just relax. I love that…
Hope you are on the mend and feeling better. You gave me QUITE a scare with your fall. Gracious! We’ve got to stay UPRIGHT, the two of us!!!
Love you honey, take care…
M. xoxox