Low-effort games to play while adulting

Let’s face it, we don’t have enough time to game. When we grow up to be responsible adults, life gets in the way. We have to work, commute, clean, cook, and take care of pets, kids, and plants. Unless of course, you’ve read this article about gamer-friendly plants. But you get the picture. As a teenager and an adolescent, you don’t have as many responsibilities and there is more time to game.  Also, for some reason, you don’t need as much sleep. Gaming until midnight is totally fine, even when you have to wake up early for school or work. As adults, staying up ‘late’ means making it past your bedtime. Which is more often than not 10.30 p.m. And the repercussions of going to bed late are harsh. 

Anyways, how to get in as much gaming time while also taking care of all our ‘adult’ responsibilities? Take advantage of mobile gaming! Some games that used to be on the PC or console, have been ported to our phones. It’s easier to combine the necessary stuff like commuting with the enjoyable stuff like playing a game. And it also gives you a nice little break from reality from time to time. 

Low-effort games to play while cooking

Of course you need to pay attention while chopping veggies, but once you’ve put everything in the oven, you have some time to spare. And I even have to admit that I sometimes try to play a game even while chopping… you just have to do things a little more slowly 😉 Ace Attorney, for instance, works perfectly while cleaning brusselsprouts. Just click on the next available speech option and read the lines while you chop away. Once you’ve put the brusselsprouts in a pot to boil, you can either continue or start playing one of the other ‘cook-friendly’ games, like Game Dev Tycoon (no need to constantly watch the screen and you can pause it easily), one of the various Layton games (checking if your meat is cooked through gives you time to think about how to solve that puzzle) or Machinarium.

Low-effort games to play during your commute

While you may pretend to be an environmentalist by taking the train or a bus, the true reason is that you have plenty of time to games. Whether you like RPG’s like GTA III, DOOM , Knights of the Old Republic or maybe survival games like Ark: Survival Evolved or Minecraft, or even simulation games like Stardew Valley, you can put on your headphones and dive into your own perfect little simulated piece of reality. Once you get the hang of the touch-screen controls, all these games are pretty impressive ports to phone.  Nothing beats killing pixelated monsters to drive away the smell of wet raincoats and the sound of whiney kids in the seat next to you. 

Low-effort games to play during boring meetings

Do you need games to play during a boring meeting that doesn’t take away too much of your attention? Of course, all of the above low-effort games can also be played during boring meetings. Just remember to nod your head once in a while to let your co-workers think you are fully engaged in the meeting. The RPGs might be a bit hard to focus on, but Stardew Valley will probably work just fine. If you are bored but also not wanting to look too into the game, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp might be a good solution. Not a ported game, but rather an adaptation specifically for phones, but fun nonetheless. 

Do you have any favorite low-effort games you play on your phone while attending to your daily responsibilities? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Or leave a comment below!