Thank Grog It’s Firday!
At the lofty old age of 65.5 years old (that .5 is important as you get older), I have come to realize that in my quest to remain young and vibrant, I have actually become weirdly entitled. I could give all sorts of instances, but as this is a blog about a mobile game, I will keep most of my comments to this topic.
More and more, I am beginning to feel like Grandpa Simpson, as almost all of the stories I tell my grandkids (the ones old enough to sit and listen without being bribed by an ice cream cone), are met with a look of incredulous wonder, as if I just told them that “cell phones are sucking your brain pan dry if you use them after 10pm.” Of course, most of those statements could be true…there just hasn’t been some Swedish study on the topic yet. But then again, they were wrong about bacon being bad for you, and eggs, and peanut butter… or was it nut butters with sugar added…I can’t remember…but, they were wrong.
However, what I know to be true, is that as more and more amazing technical advances are made every year, and we just grow to accept their existence and our habitual reliance on them, we forget the fact that most of the stuff that gives us real joy is actually FREE. Like TSTO. And updates in TSTO. And…well…you get the picture.
Are we too entitled? Have we become whiny brats who expect sprinkles (never call them Jimmies around Alissa) on EVERY meal?
Let’s look a the evidence…(before some Swedish think tank does).
The easy and obvious answer is…YES!!
The evidence is pretty clear…and has been discussed for months now (at least since the beginning of 2019, when regular updates became profoundly irregular…and no, I don’t want to hear some joke about needing more roughage in my game to keep it regular).
We have had a dearth of regularity, in TSTO. And yes, I used the word “dearth” correctly. It is one of those words that doesn’t sound like it’s meaning. While dearth, has a heavy, over-abundance of weight or content, it actually means the opposite. Kind of like “Freemium” or “Truthiness.” Now those are two words that were clearly made up by marketing departments or politicians. But, I digress…
The fact is, once something becomes a habit, and part of your regular daily routine (pretty much the definition of “habit”), you begin to take it for granted. You come to not only rely on it, but EXPECT it to be there…day in, day out, giving you what you have come to count on. Until it doesn’t. Welcome to getting old.
One of my favorite Little Feat lyrics comes from “Old Folks Boogie,” where they sing, “Well you know, that you’re over the hill, when your mind makes a promise that your body can’t fill.” And TSTO, due to our own sense of entitlement, and our own unrealistic expectations, is exactly like that. It simply can’t give us all that we think we are entitled to receive.
Let’s start with the reality that especially now, with a profusion of options to get FREE DONUTS, and loads of cash, playing the game is indeed, FREE.
But, like almost any “service,” that appears free, the fact is, there are huge investments being made by the providers of these services, and in the end, it really is THEIR choice how, when, and why the service exists.
The state of entitlement in the digital/freemium age was brought full circle in recent weeks, when a number of social media providers, de-listed or demonetized a wide list of bloggers, Vloggers, and social media “influencers” for breaking their user agreements on hate speech and bullying. While there was a huge outcry claiming they primarily targeted right wing content providers, I pretty much took the side of the Service Providers. They are making money from a service that is provided to them for FREE…by a company…not the government…and therefore, need to understand that like it or not, they are making money with the tools provided, “at the pleasure” of the service provider.
But I digress… kinda.
The fact is, less than 5 years ago, most of the terms like Vlogger, and blogger, and certainly “social media influencer” didn’t even exist. Ten years ago, if you told me that one of the most watched (and monetized) “channel segments” in video streaming, was people watching other people play video games, I would have laughed in your face. But of course, that was until I found my 10-year-old grandson glued to his screen, with headphones on, looking like someone who had been possessed by an alien who was giving him instructions on how to disable the armed guards at the Pentagon, so they could achieve world domination. And trust me…if an alien insurrection happens, it will begin with 10-year-olds being convinced to do stuff. Have you watched “Stranger Things??”
I probably should have expected the reaction I got when I pulled the headphones from his ears, and then let them spring back violently to “box his ears new millennium style”.
“Grandpa! What? What are you doing!! I’m watching this!!” he screamed, the spoon suspended in mid-air, dripping Honey-Nut Cheerios and milk onto the table.
“What is that you’re watching?” I asked. I honestly couldn’t make out what the commentator was screaming above the crowd noises.
“Jacksepticeye,” he mumbled.
I made him repeat it three times…because I thought that he had perhaps started having a game-induced seizure of some sort that had affected his ability to speak clearly. And when I made him take off the headphones and turn up the volume so I could hear…I still didn’t understand it. Jacksepticeye (Jack Septic Eye…get it? Get it?) screams at the the gaming action with an Irish accent. Perfect.
This made me immediate “Do the Goog,” and what I found made my head spin…and make me feel REALLY old, and out of touch.
So…depending on which article you read, Jacksepticey (his friends call him Jack…but his real name is Sean) is a 29-year-old Irish lad, who makes between $530K and $9.1 Million a year (apparently full income reports for Vloggers are slippery facts)…and he is listed as the NUMBER TEN income generator for YouTube on this list of “Top 15 Stars Crushing It on YouTube.”
This article was written in 2015…and Jack is supposedly now closer to Number 1 or Number 2…and doesn’t make his income public anymore. Go figure.
This is a video…from a very rich Vlogger who has decided to talk about himself. Go figure.
So…YouTube…which is owned by Google…which is the primary search engine, ad platform, free email platform, and overarching “most connected everything” in our lives….is now blatantly looking to capture the eyeballs and very souls of our kids and grandkids, and by proxy, everyone else in the coveted 18-35 buying demographic…and uses algorithms that control the news and information we see through AI, when we aren’t being sucked into the insanity of Facebook’s competing empire of disinformation????
There are loads of articles being written about the efficacy and morality of online gaming. And now, it seems that the games themselves have turned into political statements…being covered by these guys, with millions of followers.
My stomach turned a bit… I put down my iPhone.
“Hey…let’s go outside and play some catch,” I offered. He accepted. Thank God the kid is also obsessed with baseball.
Where was I going with this? Well…only to point out, that we of the TSTO Addicted” side, have come to demand GREAT CONTENT…better than the last, with every update. As we have discussed repeatedly, there are a lot of moving parts in this game, from Simpson’s writers, to programmers, to hosting, to server updates…and all of it provided absolutely FREE of charge…especially if you donut farm.
So, sorry…if this last update didn’t meet your lofty expectations. Tough darts.
After months of speculation about whether the game was actually over…whether we’d even SEE another update, to go back to the whine-fest about “this not being a very good update,” just feels entitled, and disingenuous.
By every measurement in the gaming world…this game is OLD. It has been around for 7+ years (which is like 70 in game years…which are a lot like dog years, but without the hip dysplasia). 70-year-olds just don’t have the energy to keep up with the demands of daily life, and keep “pumping out the joy” for others. Even Mick Jagger needed some work on his ticker…and he’s the “EverReady Bunny” of rock!
I’m old. I get it. And, yes, I do long for a day when all of the “fun” in the world for kids wasn’t attached to a screen. But that’s OUR job…to keep showing them that there is something else worth doing in life. And that excess…especially when something is being given to you for free…is simply not healthy. (You know who you are, with your 3,000% XP bonuses and your A,B,C,D games, and your $400+B in game cash).
All of this whining does nothing but make our little game more susceptible to destruction. It’s a little “world”…easily removed. And even in it’s reduced “boring” state, we’d miss it.
And for that matter…the whining certainly takes the luster off of our “free service” here at TSTO Addicts. I’m not whining about the whining, mind you. But, a constant stream of “meh” does rub off after a while. Right?
Life has so much to offer…with so many options to give and receive joy…don’t let yourself become an entitled whiner whose very existence is tied to a screen, with the need to top the last free thing you were given.
Throw a ball. Even better yet…find someone who will throw the ball back to you. Unplug. Appreciate the “down-time” and realize that nobody (especially those in the Free Services world) owes you a damn thing.
OK… Grandpa Out. I’ve got stuff to do. I think there is some golf on TV.
BTW, Patric, what is your average screen time on the game?
These days…about 5 minutes a day…if that. During the event, as I posted, I actually rushed the last two acts…did each act in about 20 minutes.
My overall screen time for “pleasure” these days is waaaaaaaay down. Too many things I want to do in the real world.
And…since the event ended…I have logged on just enough to do the daily challenge…I have 600 donuts in reserve…won’t need more. So I am in the “off” position.
As Shakespeare once said, “Methinks you doth protest too much…”
Yes, but what is the overall average as stated on your device(s)?
Charles…..I work online. Today was Monday, one of my busiest client days. As I do social media marketing, along with traditional marketing, my screen time is almost all business…It’s currently 10p…and I currently have 3 hours and 23 minutes of screen time.
My TOTALS for the past week…
Facebook (marketing/interaction) 8hrs.
Browsing- 4 hrs 7 min.
Google News – (blog research for my other blog) 2 hours 19 minutes
TSTO Addicts Moderating- 2 hours 27 minutes
Tapped Out- 2 hours 15 minutes.
The REST of my time? Let’s see…see my other reply about how I fill my “Real World” time.
So…roughly 17 hours of “awake time” a day…that’s 117 waking hours…and I spent all of 2 hours and 15 minutes playing the game…mostly so I had something to WRITE about.
What are your “real world” activities?
Charles…you seem to be seeking a “gotcha…” but good luck. I spend almost no time on the game these days…waaaaaaaaaaay more moderating and writing for this blog. But, I can assure you, that my days are packed every day from 5:30a to 10p every day…golf, Rotary, fundraising, a large list of marketing clients, loads and loads of time with the family, gardening and playing music…and I am currently doing a complete remodel of the bathrooms and kitchen in our house. So…no…not only do I not have time to play 4-5 TSTO games, watch a load of TV, or other sedentary activities, but I also have no interest in doing so.
Again, you subscribe motives to me that don’t exist. I was just curious at what other people think is worthwhile. For example you seem to think “golf” as more important than “sedentary activities”, which I assume includes reading a good book (but maybe not – unless you “moderating and writing for this blog” while not sedentary.
For what I can tell the purpose of life is to pass it’s DNA to a next generation. Thus, if you to rank all “worthwhile” activities, those that assist that task would be rank on top. For those who believe that your actions in this life have an effect on an “afterlife”, I would guess those actions would be ranked on top. All else is just a matter of gives the most pleasure / happiness to the person.
Sure…let’s go wit that. So…if you’re going with the “God thing,” let’s also understand that participating in life…being with other people…enjoying God’s creation…and yes, working to improve the conditions for this and future generations, have far more value than solitary, sedimentary observation of others doing those things (watching TV, reading a book, etc.)
But let’s keep the target clear…my comments have always been regarding overall time spent (wasted?) on playing a silly mobile game to excess, and then trying to pass it off as “normal.”
What is “normal”? And who am I to judge? Some might say the time devoted to write in this forum is in “excess”. One can rationalize almost any action.
“yes, working to improve the conditions for this and future generations, have far more value” – in the long run the Sun will expand and swallow the earth. In the short run, very few actions will last a thousand years.
You guys REALLY like to
arguedebate with each other, don’t you?I will admit to liking a good debate. 🙂
lol I’d hate to see what would happen if you two had a “friendly” fencing match…
LOL…well, one of us would actually get off of the couch to fight it…
Make them stop please!
I wish I could. Apparently my subtle nudge didnt work lol. Guess I have to send in ninja homer…
Finally…you have admitted to being part of the “Woody Allen” version of living life. Why bother…because the sun is going to swallow the earth? Nice. So, why were you born? What is your purpose here? Just another tick in the “stuff that happens before the sun destroys us all in 3 million years?” Hmmm…I prefer to be part of the team that actually gives us a chance at a few more years beyond 2050. But, I get it…there’s probably a good book about that topic somewhere.
And as far as this blog…I have stated many times before, if it wasn’t for the fact that it helps pay the costs of our work to change and save lives in Uganda, I’d have stopped doing it years ago. You? What does your 3000% Bonus and a 4.9 Billion in game cash (times 4 or 5 games) do? Pretty much the same as the result of sitting on the couch consuming and observing. But…sure…Woody Allen was hilarious.
I will freely admit that there probably no afterlife. It is possible there is a “heaven” for humans, but how about the bacteria (most of life by weight), the dinosaurs (lived way longer), dolphins, ants, plants? We are just one life form on one planet in a galaxy with billions of stars with planets which in just one of billions (trillions) of galaxies.
While I applaud your efforts in Uganda, perhaps your time could be better used in obtaining funds then writing for this blog if that was sole reason you do write. I suspect you do it because you enjoy it, and your Uganda efforts allow you to rationalize while you spend your time on “this silly little game”.
Regarding “I prefer to be part of the team that actually gives us a chance at a few more years beyond 2050.” and”as the result of sitting on the couch consuming…” When I am on my “couch” I am not driving to a golf course using oil and producing pollution. Are you remodeling because of need (broken pipe) or desire? Did you consider what the effect of purchase of all these items on pollution, etc.? When you travel by plane did you take account of the effect it will have on going beyond 2050? Sure you can rationalize how much better it to see your grandchildren in person versus using Face Time.
I don’t rationalize that having 3000% bonus is anything “good”. But if you worried about the time you spent in achieving certain goals in the game, getting to 3000% bonus can save you net time. If you playing the game instead of getting a second job that is needed to feed your family, then you have a problem. If you play the game while standing in line, sitting on the toilet, or doing any other activity (if you were already going to do that activiy) then you don’t.
Dude… You are unrepentantly in excuse mode. But, we’ve known that for years…right? Keep on tappin’ as they say.
Saving time to do more nothing. Perfect.
Just another brick in the wall…
Saving time in the game to do what I want in the game. If I had 10 minutes a day to play the game, do I want to spend it KEM farming or designing? If I want to buy a premium item do I have to wait 4 or more hours to KEM farm donuts or RTT now? Do I use my spare time now to build a donuts cache to use when I might have less time in the future? If I have 10 minutes while fixing my dinner I can farm donuts and I can’t go out and feed the poor. It is about maximizing your time that is available. When you get a paycheck do you leave it in a drawer in your house or do you put it in a bank to earn interest?
You have some points, but you seem to want to lay all the blame at the feet of players, and give a pass to the faceless corporation that made this thinly disguised slot machine of a “game” with built in conditioning mechanics.
If people are twitchy that there isn’t a constant stream of “rewards” and bright new shiny baubles to play with, it’s because they’ve been conditioned to be that way. You can certainly bring up personal responsibility and the need for people to take a step back now and then and remind themselves how unimportant this game is, but that’s not what EA has wanted for the past 5 years, they want you plugging away every 4 hours and sweating if you’ll get all of the 538 Homer costumes available.
Also I can’t help but think you have a little enabler’s guilt over helping
to run this website.
That last line was the best…… first time ever I have been called an “enabler,” on a site that is named for being Addicted to something. Love it. Will wear the badge proudly.
You pretty much summed up the grim reality of the current state of the game. We gladly played…and gave them reams of money when they were giving us content that we deemed worthy of our investment of time. Now…because the rewards are few and far between, but virtually free (if you have a brain in your head) you are more upset that you can’t get “great rewards,” even if you have to pay for them.
So…this is like a rat experiment, where the rats got shocked over and over, before they learned how to get their treats for free. Once things got easy, the rats got lazy, and bored, and started wishing for the good old days. In short…part of the fun for the rat was the thrill of beating the system, or being shocked while trying.
I am NOT laying the blame on the players…I am simply admitting that we have been in a rat trap for a very long time, with limited options for entertainment…and the Thrill is Gone. Just be thankful for the years and years and years of free rat pellets.
Bravo
I say that with capital letters and quotation marks and all the emphasising I could muster.
You and I started playing many years ago, about 2012 I think, I dont and never have bought Donuts, just worked through the game slowly and steadfastly, been taught that KEM farming is not a sin, that the “free” donut scam was just that, a scam and those who used it were “punished” and I have loved played this game, even setting alarms for 0400 to collect currency’s, donuts, snakes, neighbours etc, but having transferred my allegiance from the old forum with you to this wonderful forum, thanks Alissa, Wookie, etc, I have read so many posts about expectations not being met. I have no such expectations because I don’t pay, and I have never expected something for nothing.
I love the year book because I am now able to “keep up with the Jones’” having 23 tasks to work through due to my free collecting of Donuts but I know this freebie may end.
Enjoy the game, enjoy your life. (All appropriate punctuation)
Thanks… and these are great points. Just how long do we expect things to be “great?” I can’t think of a single entertainment option that sustains “great” over a long period of time. Everything has an arc, and when it starts coming down to investments by the “provider,” there are going to be obvious reasons for a decline.
What I find hilarious…is that most of the hardcore players are now donut farmers…whose current credo is, “give me something worth spending real money on, and I will!” I call BS. Other than a semi-regular “donation” for some item I can’t get farming, I won’t spend money. I have offered up reams of ways they could make more money from me…like PAYING FOR INCREASED ITEM LIMITS…but, nope. Instead, they make it easier and easier and easier to farm, and get all of the Premium content you want (YearBook).
I appreciate your point of view.
My first thought is I agree with you…even if I didn’t choose to play for free, when I was able to. My second thought is, how do I get some of that YouTube revenue? I average about 4 views per video, which are mostly nature videos. I almost never speak on video…maybe I should!?
Well…apparently, if you want to make the BIG bucks, you don’t creat anything unique. You simply have loads and loads of critical comments about other people’s work. But you do it really loudly…and and make up crazy screen name.
Patrick, I’m not sure if your comment was made in jest or if you’re unaware of esports viewing which includes you tubers. It’s a growing spectator “sport”. IMO (_my children’s opinion), Jack Scepticeye entertains his viewers and provides info on games they may want to buy. The game producers benefit from the exposure and endorsements by Jack Scepticeye. It’s not all ranting and criticizing. Nevertheless, I don’t find them entertaining and do not watch them, but my children and many others do.
It was not meant in jest. I lament that we have come to the point where watching other people, comment on watching other people, has become “entertainment” and these guys are making millions. Kardashians are the worst example of getting paid millions for doing nothing…
My two cents: Yes, there can be an awful lot of whining about TSTO, despite it being essentially “free.” However, the whining demonstrates continued interest in the game. And, from EA’s perspective, the entire point of offering content for free is to entice players into spending real money on the game. A lack of new content, long delays between new content, unoriginal new material, and/or a lazy application of content when it is offered are all antithetical to the company’s purpose in offering the game in the first place. If EA decides not to continually support the game, it might as well be discontinued, since it would then just be a husk left alive to bleed the remaining money people are willing to offer… like the current state of the Futurama game (which, oddly enough, has had some major interface upgrades in the past months without any real content upgrades… strange business plan there…).
Our whining, to me, is less about entitlement and more about wanting the game to continue as it has so far, or even to evolve in a creative and enjoyable fashion. Having a high standard is a sign that EA once did a great job and we want that effort to continue. And noticing when the game gets lazy lets the company, which seems to be listening to the fans on some level, know that we still care and are not finished with the game, even if we sometimes think they are.
But it is a double-edged sword. Whining can show positive interest, but increasing negativity about the game begs the question as to why it should continue. So right now I’m trying to stay positive. “Game of Games” could have been great… if it had been a Game of Thrones event instead of a disjointed E3 event. But it wasn’t bad. And I’m really looking forward to the Flanders Family Reunion. “Buenos Diddily-Ding-Dong Dias” is something I say on a daily basis.
Okay, that was more like 25 cents… but it’s a charged topic.
All good points…and not remotely close to “whining.” I’ll give you your quarter back, next time we see one another.
“However, the whining demonstrates continued interest in the game. And, from EA’s perspective, the entire point of offering content for free is to entice players into spending real money on the game.”
This is a good point. Speaking only for myself, I quit watching The Simpson’s *TV series* a long time ago… but this cute little game has renewed my interest in The Simpson’s *universe*. I buy Simpson’s-branded/-licensed stuff again.
“OK… Grandpa Out. I’ve got stuff to do. I think there is some golf on TV.” So do you play while watching golf?
Regarding: “And that excess…especially when something is being given to you for free…is simply not healthy. (You know who you are, with your 3,000% XP bonuses and your A,B,C,D games, and your $400+B in game cash).” I not sure about the other players, but I don’t play this game to excess. I play it when I nothing else to do. Unlike those who set the alarm every four hours, I never let the game get in way of my life. Though to you I might seem to have a lot of spare time, I just may be able to do more than one thing at time*.
My philosophy on high bonus % is one to free time. As the proponents of RTT donuts farming have long stated, you no longer need to set aside land for KEM farms once you get enough cash. With a high bonus you don’t have KEM farm, send characters out (for monorail pieces or cash). You don’t have follow a schedule because you can RTT farm donuts to finish events. You can visit your game whenever you want because you are not worried about time pressures. And because you don’t have to worry about the cost of donuts, or completing events, you can spend more of your time designing, if that is your thing.
There is a down size, if you are addicted to “thrill” of meeting a deadline. It is like playing roulette knowing your number will always come up. But for those who like designing it is like having all the lego sets. You may not want to build the Stars War’s Death Star but it nice to know you can.
I hope you found a good golf game to watch.
🙂
*Typed while watching a movie.
Charles… it was a joke. I play golf. I rarely watch on TV.
The rest? Pretty excessive. You don’t reach those numbers playing only when you have nothing else to do… unless you really need to find better things to do.
Some people don’t like TV, I enjoy it. I prefer watching a sport show on TV then driving, watching the game with a poor view and driving back. I prefer watching a movie at home where I can turn on subtitles or pause to go to the bathroom. I enjoy getting new and opinions from all over the world and various political spectrums. I enjoy Nova, Frontline, nature shows. I dramas, sci fi, horror, mystery, comedies. And while doing so, I can also read, write, do my finances and play games while walking on a treadmill, or cook a meal.
Charles…seriously? You tap while doing all of these things? We’ve already broken down the time needed to hit your “amazing” numbers. You can’t game the system. In the beginning, it takes LOADS of time to get the donuts needed to buy the multipliers…to increase your Bonus%. You are kidding yourself or being outwardly dishonest if you don’t see that, and admit to the time factor.
All of the things you mentioned are sedentary, solitary tasks, which are actually made even less rewarding if you are tapping on your phone the entire time while doing them.
But…I get it. Denial isn’t just a river in…oh…wait…where is that? Maybe one of your documentaries will remind you.
“In the beginning, it takes LOADS of time to get the donuts needed to buy the multipliers…to increase your Bonus%. You are kidding yourself or being outwardly dishonest if you don’t see that, and admit to the time factor.”
Not really. Yes, it you started a new game it would take you about 9 months in calendar time (without tennis courts). But in playing time, no. In the beginning there is not much to do. You follow the levels, with the extra cash you buy land, build houses, collect cash, repeat. A couple of extra minutes every four hours if an event is currently going on. Then you start KEM farming. You don’t spend your donuts on premium items but items to increase your bonus. You miss out on some play for 9 calendars months, but get everything cheaper later in Mystery Boxes. But once you a certain level, you no longer have to send out characters, collect rents, KEM farm. Of course now it is a lot easier with the finger. You store your house farms. After two years you can buy all the premium items and your have a net saving in game playing time.
And I rest my case…….. how many games do you have going right now? Dude….your Apple Screen time must be through the roof…
I checked out the screen for Tappped Out. Today was 21 minutes, though the daily average is 1 hour 30 minutes. So split between between 5 games that is 18 minutes each. Of course that includes times switching between games, designing and just being open while I do other stuff. For instance if I switched to a game and 10 minutes to event completion I might just leave it open, or might farm some donuts.
By comparison I just started Game of Thrones Slots. My daily average is 5h 24m. Much of that time is just letting run on automatic, again while doing other stuff. I spend 1h 10m on Words with Friends.
Put. Down. Your. Phone.
So much life to live.
Lol, and what do you imagine I am not living?
Hi Charles,
I gotta admit, I wonder how you can have multiple games going. I’m not criticizing, do what you want, but I wonder the reason. Is it that you just like designing things differently?
My second game was started when I couldn’t play my first game for about a month (it took six weeks to fix). My third game started as an anonymous to avoid the start up scenes when I switched between games and did something in error. I found it was useful when get free donuts from EA was important. Having 3 games allowed me to get more premium items (different ones in each game) and thus experience more of the events. My fourth game was a proof in concept on KEM farming (this was when Patrick was against it) and increasing the bonus level. My fifth game is an anonymous game started for the same reason as game 3. My initial intention was to basically ignore it. If there were some questions about the game that only a new game could answer I would go into it. But after 9 months and finishing major redesigns of the first 4 games I was left with a lot of time and started KEM farming it.
Now I am finished KEM farming all games. And I am less than a month a way of collecting all the land tiles from the Golden Goose.
Ok, thanks!
Well, the thing is, if we’ve paid for premium content, the game isn’t actually free, and as customers (not freeloaders), I think we have every right to express our dissatisfaction with the product. Otherwise we’re just suckers. And sorry if it’s harshing your verve for blogging to hear meh – but actually maybe you’re bummed because the game is meh….
Or… I actually can keep perspective?
Not sure how many people still spend money…
But the upside, is that was hardly anything that required actual donuts. Most of the content was FREE.
But I guess after seven years…I have lowered expectations.
#olderandentitled
In my 50’s
Has my AARP membership
Still working
Stays physically active (runs rings around those lazy millennials at my job (lol)
♥️ ‘s TSTO (even with it’s flaws, heckles EA a bit on Twitter)
Spent more 🍩’s on Premiums during these latest back-to-back Weekly Events than on any Event this year (thanked EA on Twitter for them)
I even had 🍩’s set aside for a Gil Deal (which never appeared)
I also set aside 🍩’s for new 4th of July stuff (there was a Mystery Box, I bought two Character Building and/or Decor Combos, thanked EA on Twitter, also heckled EA for not introducing Dan Quayle (lol!)
EA is a lot like Team Disney Burbank right now
Both are feeling it in a not so good way from the media
(ie Disneyland and DCA are underperforming, this is what happens when you charge too much to get in – park – eat – drink, have too much construction going on so there’s less to experience, open a new Land that’s incomplete, allow a s domestically violent family to violently misbehave and take over 3 minutes to control the situation, let corporate bean counters control what Imagineers want to do in theme parks!)
TGIF
Weekends off from Tapping
Making my Nephews / Niece turn off their game consoles
We’re doing indoor fun via Laser Tag (it’s 108° outside, we can wait ’til it goes back down to 89° at night) followed by Cowabunga Bay Water Park night time
All Tappers affected by Hurricane Barry please be safe 💜
*might have accidentally posted this half written, if so please delete the 1st post*
Enjoyed reading your Friday Filler. I have to admit, that during the lull in the game that spread panic about the game ending (I was more on the “watching and waiting but a little concerned” side), I did, indeed find something else to do in the real world -finally start exercising again. I had the extra time, couldn’t make that excuse anymore, there is only so much designing one can do. So, I started a pretty brutal workout program and lost the 50 lbs I had put on over the years and I can now fit into the clothes I could when I was in my 20s (now in my 40s). Then, when an update did come, to my surprise, I found myself *not* logging in every 4 hours. I used donuts to rush most of the prizes, which never happens unless I’m leaving for vacation. Dont get me wrong, I still enjoy the game, and would definitely be sad to see it go. But, I kinda feel like I let go of it a little bit during the lull. And in the process I lost 50 lbs and sometimes even my kids join me on my yoga or pilates days (which are my “easy” days). That being said, I hope this game sticks around for a long time (and so does the weight loss!) Again, thanks for the post, enjoyed the read.
Uhm…Wow! And Congratulations! So…what you’re saying is that if I didn’t play as much TSTO, I’d loose weight?? I’m willing to take that challenge!
I think you are on to something… and frankly, as I did do two of the acts in a couple of hours with rushed donuts, I was really able to concentrate on things that mattered. Our visit with our kids and new grandson, as well as being able to start a huge remodeling job.
I appreciate that there is still a game to play…designs to mess with…and this community. The rest, just kind of slides into the “not worth worrying about,” box for me.
Agreed.
And you sound like you get plenty of exercise with all the traveling, grandkids, kids, weddings, and remodeling projects. Sounds like you might need some sleep, not a new exercise routine😉
Trust me… I can use more exercise!
Thats freaking awesome lisa!!!! Wow!!! 👍👍👍
Thanks! Feels great. I might be as “skinny” as I was in my 20s but I’m definitely more toned now. I had youth on my side then, now it takes hard freaking work to rock a bikini in your 40s! It’s funny, one day (and only one day) my oldest son joined me on the day I do nothing but push ups and pull ups. I think he thought he could beat me…he found out otherwise😉
Wow, great dedication! My wife and I started working with a trainer in May and it’s tough getting to the gym, but afterwards we feel good, but very sore!
My goal is to get off blood pressure medication. I’m down to a very low dose now, but should be able to come off completely once I lose some more weight…fat that is, I haven’t lost a ton as I have gained some muscle.
Back to the game, I just spent $10 buying donuts in the hope that helps prolong things. But I have to think that in the next few years, the Simpsons will end on TV, and then a year later so will this game. Ah, well, nothing lasts forever.
Technically, from a mathematical perspective, infinity does last forever. But I digress.
He speaks!! Lol
I hate to say it…but that may be a very optimistic view. The writers don’t really get paid to do game copy. So…we need to rely on labors of love. We’ll see…
It definitely is a commitment! I took off the first 35 lbs just running on the treadmill (which is all I really thought I had to lose in the first place). Then I began to plateau so started the P90X3 program (my husband had the DVDs from a few years ago when he attempted the 90 day program). I hate going to the gym so I had to find something I could do at home. It’s brutal. I lost an additional 15 lbs in 30 days. I can’t imagine what I’m going to look like on day 90, the transformation is already astounding. I went from a size 12 to a size 4. Anyway, congrats on your weight loss as well!
HOLYFREAKINNSHIRT!!! That is amazing. I am so very impressed. At one point, I did some rough math, and figured out that over my lifetime, I have probably lost close to 1,200 lbs. I have always added some during the holidays (which for us run from Halloween to Valentines), and then lose it again in the summer. But…… as you get older, your metabolism changes, and this last time around has been very tough. However…I have realized that there aren’t a whole lot of healthy, fat, 80-year-olds around (although the doctors do say a little padding is healthy when you it your “frail years”). So a change, and a plan, is needed.
You have inspired me! I am going to go for it! I want to get back to my original weight….
9 lbs 8 oz.
Lol! I can’t imagine how many pounds I’ve lost and gained over the years.
🙂
Amen! Off to my daughters bowling bday party! 3 hrs of hormone induced drama! All in one place! Who needs technology! Lets hear it for teenagers!!!!
And if i hear one “YOU know how to score bowling? ” I’m gonna snap! That’s right…in my day we took a field trip bowling. The catch was we had to keep score. On paper. With a pencil. And be tested on it the next day!
Bah! Damn whippersnappers and their interwebs! Lol
Good luck🙏! My oldest is turning 13 at the end of the month so I feel your pain with the teenage thing 🤯 (mine are both boys though).
sandytoes74
It’s like Punk Rock Bowling
Only the top five non-professional teams winning are all in their 40’s – 50’s
(kids today can’t keep score properly after 🍹🍻 like we can!) 😅🎳
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/16/e3/ed/16e3ed16a0fa46cbf277cfd77b156f9a.jpg
LOL! Oh man…did you ever conjure up some memories. With 5 daughters… sooooo many 13th birthdays and “Sweet 16 parties.”
Good luck with that. My son is turning 13 on the 13th. Second teenager in the house.
I feel for you, if I would have known that I wouldn’t have just tagged you. Ok, that’s I like, I would have tagged you anyway.
Cheers!
Damn auto correct, ‘ I like’ should have been ‘a lie’
Lol