thing the twentieth | games

I'm a gamer, so I was both anticipating and apprehensive about this thing. I was looking forward to trying out some new games on my phone, but my experience so far with mobile games has been disappointing. Many of them are time/turn-based -- i.e., you are granted only so many "lives" in a given time period. If you use them up, you have to wait a set amount of time for a new one to generate, or pay a fee for instant gratification. I understand that this is how the app developers make money, but it's such a turn off for me and such a different format from other games I've played previously in my life that I would rather not play at all.

As one might expect, the mobile games that are actually worth playing are purchased with a single fee upfront without multiple in-app purchases or add-ons. One in particular I'd recommend is The Settlers, a mobile version of the popular (at least in Europe) strategy/building series of the 1990s and 2000s.

That said, I did actually download and play one of the recommended games for this thing, Candy Crush Saga, just to see what the fuss was all about, and I admit with no shame whatsoever that I spent most of my weekend playing and progressing to the point where I must now wait 24 hours before having another opportunity to advance. That might mean I'm now at the end of the road and my interest will wane, but I'm not sure yet. It was addictive, though that isn't necessarily a good thing, and I did enjoy the strategic aspect of gameplay.