5 Best Games for a Busy Student

Often, the life of an Oratory Student is a busy one. There is lots of homework to do, tests to study for, and projects to work on. Occasionally, you get a burst of productivity, and suddenly you have no more work to do (or perhaps you’re just tired of work and want to spend your valuable break minutes playing some games). Either way, you find yourself with a short amount of time, perhaps before school starts or while waiting for a club, where you need a game that you can open, play, and close in a couple of minutes. So here are my personal recommendations for 5 of the best games that you can play in under 10 minutes. 

5: Crossy Road

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because he was bored, apparently. Crossy road is a simple game about the age-old question, where you play as the chicken in its attempt to cross the road. The gameplay is reminiscent of a classic arcade game, with a simple goal of trying to cross as many roads as you can, dodging cars, trains, and various other obstacles as you aim for a high score. And speaking of classic arcade games…

4: Pac-Man

Perhaps one of the most famous arcade games ever made, in Pac-Man, you play as the titular character as he strives to eat all the dots on the screen, dodging ghosts who are much faster than you by utilizing smart maneuvering decisions with the help of the occasional power-up. You can play the game many places, but one easy way is by simply searching up “Pac-Man” on google, revealing a Google Doodle where you can play on the familiar Google logo. 

3: Papers, Please

While you may not be familiar with Papers, Please, I can give my wholehearted recommendation of it and encourage you to look it up yourself. It’s the first game on this list to cost money- but for only $10, it’s practically a steal for the quality of game you’re receiving. You play as an immigration inspector within the communist state of Arstotzka, facing his first month on the job after winning the position in a labor lottery. Gameplay involves checking documents and trying to spot contradictions, which starts off quite simple but becomes far more complicated as time goes on and more documents get added, eventually reaching the point where they don’t even fit on your desk. While I won’t spoil anything, the game’s story is amazing, and works hand-in-hand with the gameplay to provide an amazing experience. A day lasts around 10 minutes, meaning it’s perfect for this list. If you’re looking for a game that asks a lot of you but rewards you with an amazing experience in exchange, this is the game for you. 

2: Touhou Project

If you haven’t heard of the last entry, you absolutely have never heard of this one. “Touhou Project” refers to a series of games made by a single man named Jun’ya Ōta (also known as Zun). The games are a genre known as “bullet curtain”, where the majority of the screen is covered in projectiles that you must dodge using quick reactions and, most of all, a lot of practice. The games are extremely lax on story, but they more than make up for it in how perfect of a game they are for quick breaks. If you have some earbuds, put them in and enjoy the excellent soundtrack as you find yourself making it further and further into a run than you ever thought possible, dying less and getting higher scores. Depending on which game you’re playing, you can usually finish a run in under 15 minutes, though it may be better to play the game in practice mode if you don’t have much time. The game is heavily focused on a trial-and-error system, though if you like that type of difficult, yet fair game, you may absolutely fall in love with…

1: Celeste

If you like Platformers, play Celeste. If you like well-written, impactful stories, play Celeste. If you like video games in any way, shape, or form, play Celeste. It is, without hesitation, one of my favorite pieces of media of all time. The game, like the previous entry, is all about trial and error. Each level is divided into rooms, which each have their own unique challenges to overcome. There is no limit to how many times you can fail, and a failure count in the hundreds is to be expected if you wish to see the credits. However, each time you fail, you learn something new about what you did wrong, how to fix that mistake, and how to avoid it in the future. This makes the game perfectly suited for a pick-up-and-play style, where you can open the game, clear a room or two, and do something else. Because even without playing the game in long sessions, you slowly grow better until you’re completing challenges you deemed out of the question before. The theme of learning from failure is a core part of the game’s story and message, and if you’re willing to sacrifice some time to pay attention, the story will leave you absolutely moved. To beat the game is quite a feat on its own, and after that there’s a huge amount of extra content, collectables, and even fan-made levels that rival the quality of the original. If you have enough money to buy a pizza, buy Celeste. You absolutely will not regret it.