Have you beaten this game yet? Have you even heard of it? If this is your first time, welcome to the wonderful world of 2048. This game, created by Gabriele Cirulli, has very recently made its mark on the online world, even so much as spotting its own smartphone app. The game is simple: slide the tiles to combine similar ones, and reach 2048. However, the deceitful simplicity leads to avid frustration once you achieve higher and higher valued tiles. Still, nothing beats the feeling you get when you first reach the eleventh power of two.
Now that the craze of 2048 has died down, I want to take this time to reflect on the game and see what it brings to the table. Was it just a passing fad? Does it have unlocked potential? HOW DO YOU EVEN WIN? Let's dive into the world of this seemingly simple, yet extremely frustrating, game to find out!
Popularity and Addictiveness
The game was released in March this year, and within its first week 2048 had gained over 4 million views. I first encountered the game on Facebook. I usually don't play games shared on Facebook, but this friend of mine was someone with good taste.
"He wouldn't waste his time on any random game, so this must be good."
The game is easy enough to understand and play through, but it also contains subtle difficulty that makes it hard to finish. The randomly generated tiles only add to the "fun" and make the game even more addictive. The simple design and easy flow of the game make it enjoyable to play... unless you keep losing. However, once you win, or see someone win, your faith is restored and you keep playing to repeat that phenomena.
"Have fun wast-uhm, using, your time!"
Creative "Flourishing"
The wonderful thing about 2048, is that anyone can play it, and anyone can change it. I'm sure you've stumbled across a variant of the game somewhere on the internet. My personal favourite is the DOGE2048. Gabriele Cirulli not only gave us a great game, but he gave us a medium to express popular culture and creativity.
With an open source code, almost anyone can make their own version of the game. Nerdy versions include your favourite pop culture and internet icons like Doctor Who, DOGE, Pokemon, every-actor-you-can-get-photos-of, and even the infamous Flappy Bird. You've also got your nerdy mathematical versions, including variants based on numbers related to 2048 or other related mathematical concepts.
"You can make a game for any audience, and that can be a bad thing. This is the internet after all."
A Nice Anecdote
I was at a family friend's house for a turkish food lunch and after eating I decided to pop out my Macbook to do some studying. After doing a few biology quizzes, I proceeded to play a few games of 2048. Now one of my friends has a child with Down Syndrome and she came over to watch my games. Now I don't pay much attention to people with Down Syndrome, but that's a whole other thing for another time.
I amused her by continually replying the generic, "Yes dear" or "That's right" or "Uhuh", but then I actually started listening to what she was saying. She was adding up the numbers as I played the game. "Two plus two is four! Four plus four is eight!" She got all of the sums correct right up till 64. In the end I found myself playing the game more to see how much she could do and how accurately she could do it.
Does 2048 have some untapped educational potential? The mathematics is based on powers of two after all. The math is rudimentary, but with a nice layering of complexity. Addition complexifies into multiplication and that complexifies into exponents. However, I find this relies heavily on rote learning, and that doesn't foster curiosity and all that academic learning wonderland stuff. Then again, if this game can help Down Syndrome kids learn the powers of two, it could hold a lot more potential.
"Thinking about powers of two makes you think about binary. Once you master that you're pretty much a computer scientist."
How to Win
A general guide to winning is to play all your tiles into a corner and snake them in decreasing order from that corner. Try not to mess up the side that you're snaking from, otherwise you'll have a sad story of a close game.
Well I've won my fair share of games, specifically the DOGE ones. Hopefully you have gone through the motions and felt the experience of winning.
Do you find this game wonderful? Is it more than just a game? Which is your favourite variation? Let me know in the comments!
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