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- That’s What She Said
- Lord, Deliver Me From This Addictive Mobile Game
Is it possible to break free from this time-consuming pastime? It’s just so challenging! (That’s what she said.)
by Lily Carter
Updated: Feb. 20, 2024
Originally Published: April 29, 2022
There’s a name for games like “The Office: Somehow We Manage” — a licensed mobile app featuring the characters and storylines you adore — and that name is “idle game.” These are games where players can step away and still make progress while they’re gone. In this instance, Jim, Dwight, Angela, and the gang continue to earn Schrute Bucks, yogurt lids, coffee cups, or whatever currency fits the challenge. (I still haven’t come across any Stanley Nickels, though I did enjoy the special Pretzel Day event.)
The purpose of the game? To sell paper, naturally, collecting customer leads that appear with each sale to enhance your earnings. It’s also considered an “incremental game,” rewarding repetitive actions — in this case, rapidly clicking a stack of cash, adding to the Scranton branch’s total with each click. In gaming lingo, this incessant clicking is termed “grinding.”
How do I know so much about the game? Because I find myself playing it every day, both idly and actively, and annoyingly, I can’t seem to stop. I earnestly strategize to improve Jim’s unimpressive earnings and accelerate Creed’s slow progress. I watch ad after ad for random bingo apps and Shake Shack Buffalo chicken sandwiches just to add a few meager dollars to my haul. I prioritize this over far more important tasks, obsessively managing a bunch of pixelated characters that loosely resemble actors from a show I enjoy. (When you put it like that, it sounds a bit crazy.) It’s an efficient way to waste time and mental energy, squandering moments I’ll never regain for no substantial reason.
I openly critique capitalism and its flaws, yet I can’t pull myself away from this game. The “idle” earnings strikingly resemble how a CEO profits off the hard work of people like us: at the end of each level, the money you’ve earned just vanishes, padding someone else’s wallet. Still, you’re compelled to keep playing without taking a break. Every second and every potential finger movement is an opportunity to tackle a new challenge and earn more. Your objective is to generate money so you can… earn even more. This echoes the relentless grind of real life.
As a freelance writer and editor, I feel that same pressure: Just accept whatever comes your way, my mind shouts. Sure, many of these gigs are uninteresting and poorly paid, and I don’t even need the cash, but…it’s still money! I grind in real life just like I do in the world of Michael Scott. I’m left pondering: Why have I convinced myself that every billable hour is best spent amassing trivial sums? If my bills are covered and there’s food in the fridge, shouldn’t that time be better spent doing activities I actually enjoy? You know, living the life I’ve worked so hard to create?
Another thought: Am I ready to uninstall this maddening game? Sigh, not quite. Mainly because I’m swamped with work, and it provides a welcome distraction between tasks. But am I prepared to stop taking on those pointless assignments so I don’t need a brain-numbing diversion? Yes. I think I’d prefer to spend more time watching “The Office” instead of living it.
Lily Carter is a journalist and editor whose work has appeared in various publications, including Slate, Time, and The New York Times Book Review. She is also the author of the novel Bright Before Us and runs a monthly books newsletter. A California native, she now resides in New Jersey with her family and can be found at lilycarterwrites.com. This article was originally published on April 29, 2022.
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Summary
This article humorously explores the addiction to a mobile game based on “The Office,” reflecting on the similarities between the game’s mechanics and real-life work pressures. The author grapples with the implications of grinding for meaningless rewards in both gaming and freelance work, ultimately questioning the value of time spent on such activities.