2048: The Best of Games, The Worst of Games

By: Jonathan Itskovitch

Another week and another App store game makes an appearance. This week’s fad is 2048. I’m sure everyone on campus has heard of the game if they haven’t played it already. Everywhere I go, I see people on their phones playing it, whether it be during meals in Pierce, during class (that didn’t come from me), or while hanging out with people. It’s extremely addictive and not simple, and many get frustrated trying to win it once and for all. When I walk around campus all I hear is: has someone beaten the game yet, and if not how far into it have they gotten?

The fact is 2048 is perhaps the most addicting mobile game rage yet. In the game, the user swipes tiles around a 4X4 tile board in order to combine tiles of like value. All of the tiles values are powers of 2. The goal of the game is to create a tile worth 2048, or 2^11. It is a simple concept, but very difficult to accomplish. Before 2048 there was Flappy Bird, which I admit was pretty addicting as well. I remember constantly tapping my phone screen trying to get the bird through the pipes. However, once the game was removed from the App Store, and was surrounded with negative attention, it no longer offered any pull. At Stevens, 2048 is certainly the biggest craze for mobile gaming, and rightfully so. It’s actually loads of fun and hard to stop. Whatever you do, if you haven’t started it yet, do not try it anytime around finals or crunch time.

I started playing 2048 this past weekend and was immediately drawn in. It’s perhaps the greatest distraction on my phone, even more so than Facebook or texting. For that reason, I’m still not sure whether to call 2048 the best or worst game on my phone right now. Thankfully though, I have resisted playing this game unless I’m by myself in my room and there is no homework left or paper to write. It especially bothers me that 2048 alienates people during social situations. Being a social person, I really appreciate eye contact when I talk to someone, and when everyone I’m hanging out with is playing this game at the same time, it defeats the purpose of hanging out with friends. Also, playing 2048 serves as yet another reason to use the phone in class which also defeats the purpose of why we are all here. There are enough opportunities outside of class and events to load 2048. I highly recommend resisting the temptation unless the timing is right.

In conclusion, 2048 is a great game. I strongly recommend to anyone left on campus who hasn’t already played the game to give it a try. However, 2048 has its rightful place. It should not serve to substitute more important things that are going on all around you. I view the game as a time-filler, when there’s a short break and there’s nothing else to do. And one last thing to fellow 2048-players: good luck!