2048

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A concentration aid for all-hands conference calls. A game where the objective, by sliding squares around a grid and doubling them, is to get a square to total 2048. Or more.

You have a grid of 16, 25, 36, 49 or 64 squares (you choose!) Tiles numbered with a 2 or a 4 are auto-generated on a couple of squares; the rest are empty. You have two controls — affordances — swipe up/down, and swipe left/right. Swiping does two things: it moves all the tiles as far as they can go in the direction you have swiped them, and auto-generates a new tile in a random empty square. When two tiles with the same number touch, they merge into one and the number doubles. Best practice, is to always swipe in the same two directions (say, left and down) unless, humanly, you can’t avoid it. This should push your biggest numbers into one corner

Getting to 2048 is hard in a 4x4 grid, but a cinch in an 8x8 grid. The process of sliding squares around and making them double is curiously, mindlessly, satisfying, requiring just enough attention to stop you being distracted by something else, but no more.

This means you can - should the mood take you - apply your full attention to the content of your conference call, without being tempted to go on Twitter, Google holidays in Tanzania, or find listicles about wardrobe malfunctions.

The JC has had the same game going for 29 41 months now, and more than 12 14,000,000 points.

See also

• Conference call anatomy
• 2319