RUN AN EMPIRE

Pokemon Go was a revelation and paved the way for games to come, but very few games have ventured into this area since. Another game did go even further into getting people out of their homes and arcades for a unique gaming experience - Run an Empire does not only expand on what a strategy game could be, but it also makes the running application meaningful for those who are not diehards needing no external stimuli apart from the Sun and the track or the road..
Using a real map, players go for catching hexagonal tiles , and  running through an area marked by a hex more times than others enable the player to claim the area and build structures ,encampments objects etc. Now, I know lots of people cringe at the very thought of gamification and think games should be games and not means to achieving short-term real-life goals, but I believe Run an Empire  shows us one of the many possible ways of introducing new concepts into the stale world of gaming and dealing with the mundane in real life. At least we can now do away with boring running track routines and stops -we can look at them as checkpoints.
I wish someone else in my area played it, would love to have some competition,

LEVEL UP LIFE

A number of applications attempting to gamify a certain area of life have appeared in the past decade or so, mostly in areas like fitness or work or organisation , and mostly in isolation. I've always admired the fact that applications came dangerously close to being games at times, while still managing to persuade the "serious" users they were running an application en route to self-betterment,. But what if we actually wanted to gamify any and all aspects or tasks of everyday life and  have them presented as itemised characteristics? The textual adventure, the role-play ,the pixelated graphic design of LEVEL UP LIFE all appeal to the intended age group - a struggling 30-to-40 year olds , slackers by design. And its not just about the cute exterior- the game will help you with your goals just as any self-help book or time management course would. You choose 13 areas building your culture, talent, power talent, charisma through daily, weekly, monthly or unique tasks.

If you appreciate blurring the lines between an application and a game  LEVEL UP LIFE might just  be the right title for you.

TAMAGO

Sometimes aimless and absurd is the way to go in an industry run by inertia and greediness. This time it's all about existentialism and concept, and it works exceptionallly well. You break the egg shown on the screen by tapping it exactly one million times.- a feat  requiring a few months of your waking hours. Call it novelty or curiosity or plain love for the absurd or stupid, but this game has already had more than 5 million users. The mystery behind the 1mil mark made people use cheats, hacks and even mechanical screen tapping devices to achieve it.

The game grants them a "So What?" sign above the egg upon completion of the task, and though it could be construed as an extremely mean gesture on the game maker's part, it might entail a more serious issue of modern gaming, be it casual or hardcore, and call for a more serious debate on free time and gaming as a meaningful undertaking.

Curiosity killed the screen and made an omelette.