Two good friends started playing this game called Hay Day and exclaimed it was fantastic. So I gave it a whack before bed one night and now I understand their… obsession. It’s essentially a Role Playing Game on a farm where you try to level up and get new goodies. Instead of magic spells and armor you’re vying for a chicken coop or pie oven.
Two mechanics are new two me: time based resource development and the ability to buy your way out of a jam with real money. The former makes for nice short sessions of play; five minutes and you’re done, you can walk away for hours until a crop is ready for harvest or animals are ready for tending. The in-app purchases to advance however, make the whole thing feel like gambling. It colors the gameplay with annoying intent.
I’m sure at some point I’ll hit a wall and the app will lie dormant like Angry Birds, Draw Something or Words with Friends. Nonetheless, I’m enjoying this time wasting and appreciating the short spurts of interaction.