I’m generally not a gamer, playing computer games has never really fascinated me, I find programming more exciting. But sometimes I don’t feel like programming or I don’t have the possibility to do it. Of course it’s important to be bored sometimes, because then you can think about things for a while. But a little entertainment in a free minute is sometimes not bad as well.

I only play computer or mobile games very rarely. For example, I used to play Hill Climb Racing for a while, or every few months a round of Mario Kart on my Wii.

Then two weeks ago, after hearing about the game online, I gave “Cities: Skylines” (for PC) a try. After less than two hours of total play time, I decided to return the game. Somehow I didn’t get along very well with the controls. If you play games regularly, you probably don’t have to think about the controls at all, but for me it was a big deal.

Two days ago I thought about whether there would be a similar game for mobile phones, because the controls are usually easier there. I didn’t find “Cities: Skylines”, but a similar game: Pocket City.

Even the reviews in the Play Store were mostly positive. The game costs a little over 3€ but then directly contains all features and no advertising or microtransactions. With the game you actually buy the entire game directly, which is unfortunately no longer so common these days.

In the game you can then play god and mayor and plan cities. Build roads, define zones for residential, commercial or industrial areas and regulate resource extraction. It is always important to ensure that the financial balance remains positive and the citizens happy. In between, there are tasks (quests) that need to be accomplished and every now and then natural disasters happen that destroy parts of the city.

The game is very easy to understand. In the few hours I’ve played it, it’s always been clear to me what I have to do, what I can do, and how to do it.

And, as I think, it is fun! And that’s the most important thing.