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There’s a lot of downtime in life. You might be waiting in line, traveling, or just watching TV. But if you play the right mobile games, that downtime can be pretty fun. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best games to play while watching TV.
Low-difficulty games such as Pokemon require less effort. You can also play real-time games like Chaos Rings III, Football Manager, Exos Heroes, Candy Crush, Defense Zone 3, GYEE, Element TD, Infinitode, Knightfall AR and Questland.
Table of Contents
Is It Hard To Play Mobile Games While Watching TV?
Do you tend to find yourself playing mobile games while watching TV? Relax, you are not alone. I’m usually more inclined to do this all the time, perhaps due to grinding or boredom. Also, like most people worldwide, I prefer games that include any of the below:
- Time limit
- Fast-paced actions
- Quick time events
- High difficulty
I tend to find games with the above characteristics unsuitable for watching TV shows due to the imminent distraction. However, many people still tend to find it interestingly weird how one can manage to play mobile games in front of their TV. Some may go as far as assuming that you are searching for details about the actors or even chatting on social media.
However, this ought not to be a matter of concern, especially how difficult it is to multitask playing games and watching television. After all, ever since laptops found their way into most people’s living rooms, it has resulted in people dividing their attention between the different screens at home. Nevertheless, the second-screen programming idea further became rampant since the invention of smartphones.
With phones always being within our reach, you’ll tend to seek solace in them whenever boredom kicks in during a dull moment or a commercial break. Also, you may want to look up products or an advertisement you saw during the break. But if you were wondering, here are the basic rules of playing mobile games and watching TV simultaneously.
Basic Rules
Unlike most video games, you do not require a high concentration in order to play such mobile games. Since it is almost impossible to divide our attention equally among all the screens at home, the ability to multitask- having your attention at multiple screens, helps resolve this imbalance. Continue reading this post to get a clear understanding of playing mobile games while watching TV. Read keenly to get a good understanding of the rules.
Rule 1. You can play turn-based RPGs such as Pokemon while watching TV. However, games such as MH Stories, which have occasional QuickTime events within turns require more focus.
Rule 2. Don’t play games that have QuickTime events. This includes games such as Telltale games or Halo 4.
Rule 3. Don’t play rhythm games.
Rule 4. Avoid at all cost games that feature timed responses in a dialog, such as Telltale games or Mass Effect.
Rule 5. I do not recommend playing horror games or games where the point is the atmosphere. This includes games such as Resident Evil, Limbo (both the video game and party game which becomes more of a horror game as it progresses, among others of the sort.
Rule 6. You can play real-time games such as Animal crossing, which you can easily multitask with watching TV.
Rule 7. Consider playing low-effort games such as Pokemon and Animal Crossing.
Rule 8. Disregard puzzle games such as Monkey Island, which require that you remember or notice minor details that might be useful or where you have to backtrack to.
Rule 9. You will not be able to play games with funny narrations while following an episode on the screen. This includes the likes of Stanley Parable- which features audible narration, or West Loathing which features narrations in text boxes.
Rule 10. Do not try to play high-difficulty games such as Cupheads, Monster Hunter, or Dark Souls.
Rule 11. Avoid playing fighting games, especially ones that require concentration. Such games include Street Fighter and Smash Bros.
Rule 12. Do not play games that give you nostalgia. For instance, playing Stanley Parables gives me a nostalgic experience, so I prefer to play them with maximum concentration for the best experience.
If your family has given you no choice but to watch a movie together, you must keep the following rules in mind.
- Don’t pick games that require you to enable audio for story-driven cut scenes, audio cues, and atmosphere. Simply put, don’t games like Silent Hill among other rhythm games.
- You can’t play any multiplayer games such as Loz Triforce Heroes and Rainbow6 Siege.
- No games that could particularly fluster you or provoke you to make a sound. This also includes frustrating games and those that jumpscare you.
- If you are among the people who have tendencies to swear, scream, curse, or talk when playing engaging games such as Monster Hunter, avoid playing games that incline you towards the tendencies.
And obviously, you can play these portable games on anything but the TV. To be realistic, if you are watching an episode or show, then you wouldn’t be able to play games on it, would you? Hopefully, the information above should help you or those who assume that one should generally not play games where there are distractions since some games are perfect for that.
What Genre Of Mobile Games Should I Play While Watching TV?
With the turn of the 21st century, massive technological revolutions have occurred, resulting in a change in our habits. Due to its dynamic nature, technology has resulted in the development of smartphones and laptops, among other electrical gadgets that found their way into our living rooms.
It has, in turn, resulted in most people losing interest in watching TVs, which was a darling and major component of 20th-century family lives. For instance, many people find it their habit to multitask playing mobile games while watching television.
That said, playing mobile games while watching TV is not an art that requires dedicated concentration on either activity. Once you are used to it, you become programmed and get hooked on doing it more often, perhaps every time.
However, to enjoy the experience, you will have to make keen considerations on the games to play. You cannot play any game genre and watch TV simultaneously since some games require concentration or even critical thinking. This includes puzzles and high difficult games.
Here are some genres of mobile games that you should play while watching TV:
- Sport Games
- Trophy hunting games
- Achievement games
- Blizzard games
- Turn-based RPG
- Fallout games, especially if you want to explore but don’t wish to follow the story
- Elder scrolls
- Tower defense based
- Real-time games
- Rogue-like games
- Strategy, the slims style games/ Slim City
Great Mobile Games To Play While Watching TV
There are many reasons you would want to play games while watching TV. First, it may be the compulsory family movie time where everyone has to attend, or maybe when the shows you watch take commercial breaks. Thus, you may want to do something that would break the monotony, say a better distraction to pass the time.
However, not all games are suitable for doing so, especially those that engage you so much. Fortunately, on this list, I have prepared some interesting game titles that I found suitable to play with my eyes on and off the television. Here they are:
- Pokemon
- Candy Crush
- Civilization type games
- Defenders 2: Tower Defense CCG
- LEGO® Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
- Knightfall AR
- ONE PUNCH MAN: The Strongest
- Exos Heroes
- Chaos Rings III
- Knights of Pen & Paper 2
- Doom and Destiny
- RPG Machine Knight
- StoneAge World
- GYEE
- Questland
Conclusion
With the above list of mobile games to play while watching TV, you ought not get bored the next time your favorite television program takes a commercial break. You can immediately grab your phone, which I assume is within your reach, and progress to the next level of Pokemon, which tends to be my favorite game for passing the time.