top of page

Time Management Games (Social Media's Contribution to Gaming)

Aug 25, 2024

3 min read

0

49

0

I've been gaming since I was knee high to a grasshopper (if you caught that reference you not only get the key in the well, you also get bonus points), and I found out, about a month ago, the name for the subset of games that contains Farmville and the Royal Story.


It's Time Management.



In a recent application I mentioned that Gaming, as a culture, actively encourages self improvement- something that's ignored in mainstream society. Time Management games are exceptions to that trend- so what do they do differently that normies love so much? A compare and contrast seemed in order since, in the same way that to most people social media is the internet (we DID eventually get them to use Google), Time Management games are gaming. Unless it's a puzzle game. Those are ok too.



The Zuck was pretty revolutionary, just an average Harvard geek, banging it out on LiveJournal until BOOM, he opened up a social media site that let you connect in your immediate area. It suggested friends based on interest, but also on location. More importantly it let you share media and posts in a public area. All of a sudden FB was sucking up people's time like the additions to their tellies in Batman 2.



Computer Geeks tend to have a responsible streak, we blame it on basements and their mom, so I don't feel it's any coincidence that once mini games were introduced, the first to hit were Time Management. Big corporations can ignore populace complaints, but they score points if they don't, and sometimes get grassroots returns on that. If governments worked that way... well, let's just say it's the difference between Corporate and The Man.



What do Time Management games do differently that FP, SP, P&C, Casual, etc.



 1) They use a tutorial to teach you an interface, and that interface is INSIDE THE GAME. No memorizing what buttons to push, you learn to navigate inside the app, by tapping or clicking, just like you do on your terminal at work.



2) They alternate story based quests, and crafting or farming quests. Because industry, agriculture and gossip are the only things that exist in middle America. And, just like in your wonderful and fulfilling office job, your imaginary crafting and farming jobs tend to be packaged INSIDE THE STORY. They even, conveniently, often have Nothing Whatsoever to do with the end goal, or premise of that story. If you missed learning your own culture in school (entirely possible if you totally paid attention, or totally didn't, in class) here it is all over again! But this time it has a game theory based rewards system. We have been heard...



3) They offer no personal interaction whatsoever with your avatar. That's right, whatever you make, craft or engineer with your fits of story building, You Cannot Enjoy. In fact the only thing you can do is improve your domicile (usually secondary to the environmental improvements), or purchase upgrades to your outfit. And sometimes you go mad and actually purchase these things, just to pretend that you ARE, that you THINK, that you EXPRESS yourself to yourself. That you are still a gamer.



In short, they teach you how to organize personal projects, in ways that utilize the counter intuitive, internal portions of an interface. How to interact positively as a slave in your poor fit of a job (which you really only work to afford video games, and food, if you didn't think food there, try the time management games). And how to subsume your supraconscious and avoid any higher thinking whatsoever while you improve your boss, and you corporation's environment to receive negligible gains that generally include more attention from your vampiric extraverted coworkers- also best to be next to unconscious while dealing with this.



It's endurance training for your life. You might even notice you accidentally develop an internal clock and wake up and pay bills on time. Who knew.







Want More?


Love us? Buy us a Coffee $1!


OR


Support us on Patreon!


Aug 25, 2024

3 min read

0

49

0

Related Posts

Comments

Share Your ThoughtsBe the first to write a comment.
bottom of page