If you take a look at the app store right now you’ll see that the top free games are Stay In The Line, Weed Firm, Piano Tiles, Toilet Time, and 100 Balls. Each of these game developers are making thousands a day because of iAds and the premise of each game is super simple. How did these games become so popular? Because they’re simple and mindless to play.
You don’t really have to think to play them…people want to pass the time when they’re bored. I have played all these games and what makes Piano Tiles, 100 Balls, and Flappy Bird so popular is it’s the same movement over and over again, but you want to get faster. That instant gratification of yes you beat your score by one makes you feel happy. Your emotions are hi and lo, all over the place, when playing these games. People also download ALL the variations of the game too. Remember when Flappy Bird came out? And all the other Flappy’s…people made thousands ripping off another the original game’s code. They thought quickly, seized the opportunity, and profited.
With this ever increasing trend of single objective, mindless tapping, where does that leave developers that put effort into their games? I’m happy that 2048 made the top charts because it makes you think. Blocked is another great game that’s a puzzle that makes you think. The games that make you think are out-shadowed because people want a quick release.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have games that take up your time but give you money back for your time. I’m talking about PEKO. I was introduced to this game last night and it looked fun. You tap on all the whooshing names on the screen and wait. Once they accept your peko, you spin a wheel and a ball drops. Once a ball lands in a colored slot, you get points. Once you get to 100,000 points, PEKO sends you a $10 check. It’s still a waste of time…because if you calculate it. I make X amount of dollars at work, if I’m not going to be getting X amount of points for the same amount of time I work, then I’m not playing it. It’ll take me weeks to get to 100,000 points because you’re only allowed 1 PEKO an hour. But this game is super popular…I don’t get it. Fill out surveys and you’ll make more money.
MyVegas Slots is another game that’s quite popular and the perk of that is you get real comps in Vegas. You have chips and you bet on slots or table top games and you win Loyalty Points. It’s great because you can set the slot to auto-spin and you just amass points. This is worth it to me because I don’t have to actively stare at the screen to gain points. The comps are actually pretty cool because you can get free rooms, to free bottle service, to free tickets to shows, or buffets. If you go to Vegas a lot of if you’re going for a trip in the future, check out MyVegas.
Overall, the gaming in apps is growing and I’ll take a guess and say the majority of people that game, game on their phones. It’s always there and we’re always bored. I just hope that the trend in games…goes smarter?
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