I’ve been playing Bloons on Arcade. I used to play the old version back in my uni days; finished the whole thing, uninstalled it, and moved on without a second thought. That’s just how I’m wired: once the objective is achieved, the fire burns out. The pursuit is intoxicating, but the finish line dissolves the spell.
This newer Bloons, though, is built differently. Now there are:
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clan scoreboards that rank you and promise the next tier
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weekly battle challenges with timed rewards
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duels against either A.I. or random players
It’s addictive not because the game is "profound", but because it rewards intensity, and intensity is something I’ve always had trouble turning down. Kahkahkah, alasan.
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Where the frustration begins:
During duels, I want to actually play. I want to think, to plan, to experiment with towers and timing and balance; defense, energy, income. But often, for some opponents, the match ends in fifteen seconds because the opponent rushes an attack immediately. No arc, no progression, no strategy; just a blunt, tactical sprint.
And I’m left there asking myself: What’s the point of a game you don’t actually play? Where’s the joy in a climax that never arrives? Where is the story? What's the fun in only winning in less than 15 seconds? Where is the anticipation? Where is the exploration in trying different strategy, different towers? Kan?
This is the part that has been sitting with me. There are players who only want the win. The game itself is just an instrument, not an experience. Meanwhile, I want immersion, tension, build-up, and story even in something as simple as a tower-defense match :D I’m disturbed not by losing, but by the emptiness of a game rushed to its end. They chase victory; I chase engagement. They want a finish; I want a story. I know it is a good game for me when we both strategized and defended our fields towards the end (sampai my ipad lags sebab heavy sgt).
Not to say that they are wrong (the ones that prefer the 15 secs win), it is just that I'm turned off by this "duels".
I will usually wait for the last 10 seconds and let them smirk and enjoy their win. Takpe lah, mesti laki kan, laki je yg esaited sorang2 sebab menang awal. Hahaaaa.
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The more I sit with it, the more I realize that play reveals orientation. Some treat life the way they treat games: as a sequence of goals to be cleared as efficiently as possible. Fast, optimized, ok next. But I don’t want to rush through my hours the way they rush through a match. I want to live inside the experience, where time stretches, curiosity breathes, and something unfolds. Maybe that’s the real lesson here: play is practice for life. And I’d rather live a life that is played deeply, not merely won quickly. I want to play the gameee.
I tried my best not to philosophize this, but I make it a habit of finding reasons why I get triggered by anything in this world and try to understand the pov behind it. And bloons, omygod, is now in my daily schedule and at least please, give me one good game before I continue with work. If I get one good game every morning, I can then smile and think of hundreds other things in my list.
Tsk tsk. This doesn't sounds right.
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Note: My current fav heroes is Beetienne and Benjamin. The life-maker and the money-maker.
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