Analysis of a video game by a resistent housewife

Since I don’t really play video games this is pretty hard for me. I have no tolerance or patience with learning the complex rules of most games and I can’t bring myself to spend any amount of time playing. I decided to just do something that seemed like I could tolerate it and not spend exorbitant amounts of time on it. I’m writing this blog as a stream of consciousness in a way. I like puzzles so, I’m trying this Blockout game from www. Addictinggames.com.

In this game, you much guide your player ‘block’ (using the arrow keys) through various levels: for each level, you must reach the end block; and by reach, I mean you must stop on it, not just pass through it.

The brown block is your player, the blue one is the “goal” grey blocks are walls. The game has no set “goal” per se, other than reaching the blue block. It’s timed and the game saves your time so, you could have a goal of beating your last fastest time if you wanted. If you get stuck on a level you can retry as many times as you want to.
It has music, which I find excruciatingly annoying. I immediately turned it off.

I just clicked the button to play and now it’s given me a page of instructions for setting my Flash player parameters to accommodate the game. I’m frustrated by this and don’t want to take the time to read the instructions. I’d like to just play the game for a minute to write the blog. So, I’m going to try it without reading those instructions.

It worked fine so far. I just played my first level and it took me 13 seconds. It’s a brain teaser type deal. When you hit the arrow the block goes as far as it can before hitting a wall so you have to make turns in roundabout ways. I’m pleased that the first level was easy and I am happy to go on.

I just completed the second level and I solved the “puzzle” before moving so I wouldn’t get “stuck” anywhere. Seemed to work okay – 29 seconds.

I’ve played a few levels ahead and I’m getting faster as the levels get higher. That is probably because I now “know” the game. I’m wondering when it’s going to get “harder”

Okay, I’m on level 39 of 50 and I got stuck for a while (181 seconds). The rest was pretty easy. So now I finished all the levels and it gives me my total time (1241 seconds). I must admit I am compelled to try one more time. It’s easy enough that I don’t feel frustrated but, not so easy that I am bored.

Now I got stuck at level 39 again and I can’t remember how I did it. I feel like I’m now wasting my time and I am not going to play it any more. My daughter is about to wake up from her nap and I have only this time to get my work done.

This game is made for someone who is bored and has “free time” and is satisfied by reaching the goal set by the game. Reaching the goals of cleaning behind the refrigerator, going for a run with my daughter in her running stroller and my dog beside me, planning dinner, paying bills… those are the goals that satisfy me. I cannot sit still this long. Or I like a puzzle that I can come back to later and I won’t have “failed” because of the time constraint. I usually have the crossword puzzle from the paper on hand all the time. Video games are just not made for housewives! Now my daughter is awake and I am going to get her up and feed her some lunch.