5 ms·

> They're a great demonstration of how the illusion of progressing at something is all you need to keep people interested, even when the only thing they're pro

> They're a great demonstration of how the illusion of progressing at something is all you need to keep people interested, even when the only thing they're progressing towards is... the opportunity for more progression. If anyone wants to try this type of "game" give cookie clicker a try.

rplnt 9y ago
One more with the niche of this forum, and one that doesn't take that much time (depending on your take on the task), is Paperclips http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/
- Jare 9y ago
  To close the circle, this was recently released as a paid game ($1.99 or $2.99 not sure) on mobile. This game works so well (within its scope) because of its ability to surprise you with the crazy narrative and convoluted mechanisms it brings in as you progress.
- alexmorenodev 9y ago
  I love how paperclips is extremely addicting, but short. These games can eat up all your free time for months easily. Paperclips takes one day or two.
  - dEnigma 9y ago
    Spaceplan (http://jhollands.co.uk/spaceplan/ http://jhollands.co.uk/spaceplan/) also ends after a while and was very entertaining for a clicker game. Apparently they have paid versions now too, which I haven't tried.
    - pavel_lishin 9y ago
      I paid for the mobile version, and it was easily worth it.
      - dEnigma 9y ago
        So it is a significant upgrade compared to the free prototype?
        pavel_lishin 9y ago
        I don't know; I didn't play the free prototype, but I definitely felt like my money was well spent on the Android app.
- vanderZwan 9y ago
  What is interesting about both Cookie Clicker and Paperclips is that their stories (yes, they have one, although perhaps it falls somewhere between "theme" and "story") are implicit critiques about clicker games themselves. Especially paperclips is on the nose, since the famous "paperclip maximizer" thought experiment fits the game mechanics so well[0]. Games have the ability to let you have a kind of "lived" experience of something. Sure, a good book makes you live the story through the eyes of the protagonist, but adding the act of making choices within a game framework on top of that changes this fundamentally. This more than anything else is what defines games as a medium. Clicker games are in a way very interesting deconstructions of what it means to be a game. Cookie Clicker started out as a joke making fun of other game mechanics[1]. Which shouldn't be surprising, since some of the best jokes are deconstructions. [0] https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html [1] https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gaming/cookie-clicker-julien-thiennot-incremental-games/ https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gaming/cookie-clicker-julien...
- pavel_lishin 9y ago
  I haven't played in awhile, but I believe you can actually get stuck in this one - it's possible to run out of resources and be unable to progress further.
dspillett 9y ago
Or the earlier Cow Clicker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Clicker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Clicker
lloeki 9y ago
https://clickclickclick.click/ https://clickclickclick.click/
JoshTriplett 9y ago
> If anyone wants to try this type of "game" give cookie clicker a try. Cookie Clicker is fun and entertaining, but I'd recommend playing it (and all other "incremental"/"clicker" games) with the JavaScript console open. Enjoy the story, flavor, and twists, without the wasted time and idleness. Also try Spaceplan.
alexmorenodev 9y ago
Don't try kittens game. Please.
- sebtoast 9y ago
  Kittens is one of the best clicker games there is along with space lich omega and a dark room I think. For those interested in these types of games I would recommend subbreddit https://reddit.com/r/incremental_games https://reddit.com/r/incremental_games
tempay 9y ago
There is also https://cern.ch/particle-clicker https://cern.ch/particle-clicker if you want to play one with an educational element.

rplnt 9y ago

One more with the niche of this forum, and one that doesn't take that much time (depending on your take on the task), is Paperclips http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/

Jare 9y ago
To close the circle, this was recently released as a paid game ($1.99 or $2.99 not sure) on mobile. This game works so well (within its scope) because of its ability to surprise you with the crazy narrative and convoluted mechanisms it brings in as you progress.
alexmorenodev 9y ago
I love how paperclips is extremely addicting, but short. These games can eat up all your free time for months easily. Paperclips takes one day or two.
- dEnigma 9y ago
  Spaceplan (http://jhollands.co.uk/spaceplan/ http://jhollands.co.uk/spaceplan/) also ends after a while and was very entertaining for a clicker game. Apparently they have paid versions now too, which I haven't tried.
  - pavel_lishin 9y ago
    I paid for the mobile version, and it was easily worth it.
    - dEnigma 9y ago
      So it is a significant upgrade compared to the free prototype?
      - pavel_lishin 9y ago
        I don't know; I didn't play the free prototype, but I definitely felt like my money was well spent on the Android app.
vanderZwan 9y ago
What is interesting about both Cookie Clicker and Paperclips is that their stories (yes, they have one, although perhaps it falls somewhere between "theme" and "story") are implicit critiques about clicker games themselves. Especially paperclips is on the nose, since the famous "paperclip maximizer" thought experiment fits the game mechanics so well[0]. Games have the ability to let you have a kind of "lived" experience of something. Sure, a good book makes you live the story through the eyes of the protagonist, but adding the act of making choices within a game framework on top of that changes this fundamentally. This more than anything else is what defines games as a medium. Clicker games are in a way very interesting deconstructions of what it means to be a game. Cookie Clicker started out as a joke making fun of other game mechanics[1]. Which shouldn't be surprising, since some of the best jokes are deconstructions. [0] https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai.html [1] https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gaming/cookie-clicker-julien-thiennot-incremental-games/ https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gaming/cookie-clicker-julien...
pavel_lishin 9y ago
I haven't played in awhile, but I believe you can actually get stuck in this one - it's possible to run out of resources and be unable to progress further.

dspillett 9y ago

Or the earlier Cow Clicker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Clicker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Clicker

lloeki 9y ago

https://clickclickclick.click/ https://clickclickclick.click/

JoshTriplett 9y ago

> If anyone wants to try this type of "game" give cookie clicker a try. Cookie Clicker is fun and entertaining, but I'd recommend playing it (and all other "incremental"/"clicker" games) with the JavaScript console open. Enjoy the story, flavor, and twists, without the wasted time and idleness. Also try Spaceplan.

alexmorenodev 9y ago

Don't try kittens game. Please.

sebtoast 9y ago
Kittens is one of the best clicker games there is along with space lich omega and a dark room I think. For those interested in these types of games I would recommend subbreddit https://reddit.com/r/incremental_games https://reddit.com/r/incremental_games

tempay 9y ago

There is also https://cern.ch/particle-clicker https://cern.ch/particle-clicker if you want to play one with an educational element.