We all need ways to pass the time every now and again, whether that’s by watching a video, a movie, playing a game, or doing a bit of light reading as you wait for the minutes on the clock to count down. There are of course, several ways to pass the time that also end up feeling like wasted time. Doom scrolling is often a choice many people end up picking, and that’s understandable.
You’re looking for quick gratification. You want something that makes you feel enjoyment in the moment, even if it ends up being a useless thing in the end. That’s largely the scope of much of social media these days. You scroll, you consume, and the cycle repeats itself. All of that being said, there are good choices here that can be made. Such as a bit of casual gaming.
For a lot of people, gaming is thought of as something that you have to be intensely involved in. And while that is true for some types of games, there are loads of casual games that can be played that don’t require constant attention. Then again, the notion of a casual gaming session can also mean different things to different people. For you it might mean you’re playing a game that fits in the casual genre. It’s lighthearted, and could be something like a puzzle game or a life sim game. For others, the game itself might be more involved like Call of Duty: Mobile or an action RPG like Diablo Immortal. The casual part comes from it being a shorter session of play time to kill 10 or 20 minutes. The point is, screen time doesn’t have to be wasted time. If you have 10 or 20 minutes to kill, there are better ways to spend that time than mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, TikTok, or Twitter.
Find a game that fits into your definition of casual
This is the challenging part, if there are any challenging parts to this whole thing, and then it’s all easy street. However you would define casual, find a game that fits that definition and then install it. From there, you can pop in and pass the time when you know you’ll be sitting around waiting for a bit. This might be at the doctor’s office. Maybe you’re having your car serviced and you’re waiting at the dealership till they’re done.
Whatever the case, these are perfect times to get a little casual game time in. For me, I’m a big fan of a game called Dune: Imperium Digital. This is a strategy game that is also part deck builder. It’s not really casual in the sense that it’s easy to pick up and play for first timers. There are quite a few rules.
However, it is pretty easy to learn, and I’ve played it a bunch so I understand quite well at this point. What I like about it is that I can pop in and start a game and even if I only have 15 minutes, I can play for that amount of time and come back later.
A full match of this game typically takes about 30-45 minutes. It can be faster depending on quickly you take your turns. You can play against other people, but you can also play against the AI and that’s what I like to do. I use this digital version of the game to practice for when I play the physical version with friends. So for me, this is a nice casual game I can dig into when I have some time to pass, and it’s not wasted time because I’m getting in some practice. At the end of it, I feel much better about my time spent than if I was scrolling through Twitter for 20 minutes.
This might not be the game you want to use for your own casual time-passing scenarios. That is unless you love strategy games. There are a metric ton of choices, though. So you can easily find something that fits more within your definition of casual gaming. The Play Store even has a casual category you can narrow down options with, and that might be a good place to start.
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