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Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters

Paper Pong - Time Waster?

Paper PongRemember Pong? Wouldn't it be great if rather than playing it on some kind of video game system or computer, you could just play it like a Choose Your Own Adventure book? Like, literally in a book. Cool, eh?

I suspect a few of you just thought "wow, cool!" while many of the rest of you thought "um, what?". It's okay, I'm distinctly in the "um, what?" camp, but I can see why someone might really get a kick out of Paper Pong. Basically, it's a book you can buy on Amazon that lets you play through what must be an incredibly repetitive game of Pong.

If you're really interested in trying it out, they've made a web-based version, which recreates the analog experience frighteningly well. Each page shows a position for the ball, and each of the two paddles. You then have the option of moving up, or down, and to do so you change to the page number given for that direction using an awfully long drop-down list.

Time Waster? I don't know how much time anyone's actually going to spend playing this, but it's certainly a unique way to present a video game. Now if they could only turn Doom into a playable book like this.

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters

Plasma Pong - Today's Time Waster

plasma pongThis one's only for Windows, but it's too much fun to pass up. Plamsa Pong is just Pong, but with the dreamy realtime fluid dynamics capable with today's modern machines to liven up the look and gameplay. There are some little twists on the game as well, including the ability to shoot plasma and shockwaves (very handy). Did I mention the plasma isn't just for looks? Those fluids affect gameplay too. Another neat trick: sucking up plasma, and hence, the ball, back to your paddle. Plasma Pong is a lot of fun to play, and even more fun to watch. The developer is planning some great stuff for the game though, like cross-platform support, online scoreboards, and multiplayer capabilities. So start practicing before all the OS X and Linux gamers show up to the party...

Filed under: Fun, Games, Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware, Time-Wasters

Massively Multplayer Pong - Today's Time Waster

Massively Multiplayer PongPong is about as simple as games get, but what if 30 people are trying to control the paddle at once? That's the premise of Massively Multiplayer Pong, a Flash game in which you and a few dozen other people play an endless game of pong against a few dozen other people, but with only two paddles and one ball. Though in essence little more than a cute experiment in the wisdom of crowds, Massively Multiplayer Pong is surprisingly fun. Playing it feels kind of like driving a car in a dream—you're sort of in control but there are larger, more mysterious forces at work. At least, that's what my driving dreams are like.

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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