Pushing Buttons: why are games about mundane tasks so much fun?
In this week's newsletter: farming, city planning, even golf - I admit I find games about unbelievably boring activities addictive
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Despite the hundreds of happy hours I spent playing Guitar Hero in the late 00s, I feel slightly resentful towards it. In my late teens I was a decent player of the actual guitar, but Guitar Hero was so much more fun that I ended up ditching my actual instrument and playing that instead. I became superhumanly good at it, and meanwhile I remain an average player of the real guitar to this day. What might have happened if I'd spent all those hours learning my real instrument? Obviously Guitar Hero is the sole reason I'm not currently embarking on my seventh stadium tour.
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