Give me a (Video Game) Break!

According to the “experts” sourced in click-bait articles, playing video games during work can be beneficial in helping restore your “affective abilities” so as to “restore [your] mood in response to stress“. Furthermore, “Stepping away from a tricky task for a few minutes of gaming might spur a new perspective on a business problem or help to reset your mind during an especially difficult day“.

Of course, I didn’t need an expert to tell me that playing games was a productive way of taking breaks. You probably didn’t either. What you might need is a list of our favorite browser based, quick-hit games that you can play at work. Have fun out there, and remember that alt+tab (or ctrl + w) are your best friends. (ノ・_-)☆

1. https://geoguessr.com/

Geoguessr drops you at a random location on Google Maps, and you have to guess where you are on the map. Scroll to explore the area to gather clues (like street signs or landmarks). The better your guess of your location, the more points you get. The game allows you to play by yourself or create a session that you can share with your friends.

2. https://www.sporcle.com/quizzes/

Find a quiz you like and test your knowledge. They’ve got everything from quizzes about European Countries to Lizzie McGuire Movie Quotes. There isn’t a formal sharing option, but you can send links to the quizzes and hope your friends report their scores accurately.

3. https://thewikigame.com/

Starting from a random Wikipedia page, get to a certain page in the fewest clicks or fastest time possible. While there isn’t a direct challenge-your-friends option, all players on the game at any given time are playing the same session. This game gets bonus points from us for making it look like you’re actually doing some research.

4. http://www.mini-putt.org/

 

This game has been around since I was in middle-school, and it’s still as good as I remember. No frills, no thrills. Just simple putt putt golfing. The sound effects are pretty low-key and maybe even soothing. No multi-player option (this game is at least 10 years old, after all), but golf is a solitary sport anyway.

5. http://www.pazaak.org/

If you’ve ever played Pazaak on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you’ll be pleased to know an online version is out there. You can build your own Sidedeck and earn better cards just like the KOTOR version. Unlike the other games on this list that can be played solo, this game requires at least two live players. You can send the link to a buddy and get online at the same time.

Special Mentions

Free Cell

On a whim, I decided to see whether this was still available on Windows 7… looks like it’s still here (with flashier graphics to boot!). You can also find Minesweeper and Solitaire along with some other games (Mahjong and Spider Solitaire). Unfortunately, it looks like you’ll have to download Space Cadets Pinball on your own.

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