Mine Sweeper is just plain cool. One never stops to think about it, but thanks to Microsoft's publishing we've been playing this simple, easy going game for years and hardly ever stop to think about how amusing it really is. So here's a list of the top 5 coolest things to consider about Mine Sweeper before out ruling the idea of not having this game on your iPhone.
1. Mine Sweeper is an 'On the Go' game. You can pick up the game, play it for a short time and then pick it back up later. With mobile devices this is especially important since we're always being interrupted. Just to take the subway I'll wait, use my phone for 3 minutes. Close it and get on the subway and resume playing. Get off the subway, go to the doctor's office, and in the waiting room pick it back up. One needs a game that can be shut down easily and fired back up, on the spur of the moment.
2. Mine Sweeper is pure logic (most of the time, right?). I think there are some moments when the game will give you a curve ball and you need to make a guess. But that's not the general premise for the game, which allows one to pick it up and play it in a mindless state.
3. You can go pro within no time. For all the mine sweeper maniacs out there, the game was once something they knew nothing about. Anyone can learn how to play the game within a short amount of time. Granted to become really good at the game requires a lot of tapping and patience.
4. The game caters to education - just a little bit. I have found that during moments I play a mine game, especially Mine Sweeper II on my iPhone, I'm transfixed in a mental state that is neither slow nor sluggish. After playing the game for a few minutes I walk faster, move faster and look straight ahead when I walk. I realize those are some pretty big statements to make about a game that was made 20 years ago. Then again, maybe the reason it's still around isn't as much because of Microsoft's marketing and a little more because it caters to the human mind.
5. Just like using chopsticks is good for the mind (mind muscles?), playing Mine Sweeper is good for your analytical thinking skills. It puts you closer in touch with logical solutions to problems and approaching solutions with a fresher outward perspective, which is always important when looking at things objectively. In addition mobile games like Mine Sweeper Maniac and Mine Sweeper II for the iPhone have rules, which when once learned and mastered allow one to play the game with greater ease and speed. For example if you see a 3 up against a wall of unidentified plots, you know right away that they're all mines. Knowing this allows for taking action in the game without thinking. And who likes doing things without thinking? Don't kid yourself. We all do.
Now that I think about it Mine Sweeper really has a lot of credit to it when it comes to analyzing the game as a useful, mind-healthy games that improves our lives outside of the iPhone screen (or other mobile device). These 5 cool advantages really make us think how important the game is to our daily lives; whether you play it for 3 minutes or 45 minutes.
Daniel Massicotte designs iPhone games and publishes them in the app store. You can view his latest games here: http://www.danielmassicotte.com/
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