Addiction to idle games

A new genre has hit the gaming world over the past years. It is playable in browsers and it does not require too much attention or knowledge, just time and fun grinding. It is hard to define it because definitions keep flowing left and right. One thing is sure though - it can become super addictive. Most people refer to these games as the idle games.

Idle games have a few things in common. You start with close to nothing, yet things escalate in no time. Things also fail to make sense. You end up in an economic game, but you have to buy a sword and eventually sell candies to children. Simply put, the level of escalation never ends. There is so much diversity that you just cannot stop playing.

Apart from this unusual - yet appealing - profile, what else makes modern idle games so addictive these days?

Killing Time

Most people start playing idle games out of curiosity. With time, they end up doing it just to kill their time. They are time consuming. Besides, this is the world of information. The human brain cannot detailedly pay attention to every single detail around. Therefore, people get stressed and they need a way to relieve it. They want to kill their time and relax sometimes, without wasting time to go to a resort or a spa. Instead, they need something quick. They fail to realize that idle games require plenty of time, so you certainly need a decent dose of self control to know when to stop playing.

Addiction Has no Theme

Addiction does not really have a theme or genre. When you think about games, you inevitably think about particular genres and their representative games. You can play adventure games, as well as strategy games, role playing games or shooters, among many other genres. Idle games are just as diversified. But then, the interesting news is that each of them can get addictive. It makes no difference if you like a particular genre or not. They are all displayed in the exact same manner, but with different stories, hence the addiction.

The Humor

The humor is one of the representative aspects of idle games. Sure, it depends on what kind of audience they target. When playing an action game, chances are you will end up with more sarcasm. On the other hand, if you play a classic RPG in a college, most jokes will be related to the educational system. People also find it funny to see things rapidly escalating from one thing to another - even if they are not related at all. Idle games are safe to spread and play in any environment, as most jokes are inoffensive though.

The Feeling of Achievement

When you win, you win! It makes no difference if you win a contest, an award in school, a diploma for graduating or just an idle game. There are plenty of studies regarding how success can cause addiction. It is perfectly normal though. You do not feel like playing a game that you keep losing at. It is no fun! But when you keep succeeding and hitting one achievement after another, you gain confidence. You also feel eager to move on. The funny thing is that you are not really doing anything spectacular in idle games. You do not have to try too hard to win. Anyone can do it, with no knowledge and experience at all. However, the effect is the same - success is addictive. In other words, idle games are addictive for this feeling of achievement too.

Evolution of Idle Games

The evolution is directly proportional with the storyline. The more you advance, the more appealing the game becomes. Most commonly, you start with close to nothing. You got some text around a white screen and some basic information. You start playing and you imagine that you should give this game a few minutes in order to determine whether it is worth your time. Less than a minute later, everything changes. You start with nothing, but you suddenly become a dealer, a merchant or a builder. You got plenty of options then. Once again, you click left and right and just when you are about to quit, something else happens. You get a village or perhaps a car.

The general idea is fairly simple - these idle games are progressive. The more time you invest, the more you progress. It becomes a personal ambition as well, especially as you are curious what is about to happen next.

Conclusion

In the end, idle games are certainly more addictive than other multiplayer online games and here is why. They make good choices in a series of situations though, especially when you get bored and need to kill a little time. Try to control your addiction to idle games, you may need a good self control to know when to stop.