Immerse Yourself in a Virtual Phone with This Indie Game

Sometimes, I catch myself mindlessly flicking through apps, almost like I’m window shopping in the digital realm just to feel like I’m engaged in some activity. It’s not an uncommon behavior for many of us.

There’s an intriguing concept called IAIYWOYP that tackles this habit by simulating a scenario where you’re essentially pretending to be busy on your phone. The platform sends you sporadic prompts and actions to complete:

“Widen your eyes and then frown.”

As you go along, you’re tapping circles when they appear, swiping as instructed, and occasionally, you’re even reminded to clean your screen.

Collectively, these little tasks create the perfect orchestrated charade, ensuring anyone glancing your way at a nearby restaurant table believes you’re blissfully enveloped in your digital world rather than eavesdropping.

What struck me the most, perhaps unsettlingly so, is how oddly satisfying this process is. There’s something inexplicably gratifying in double-tapping a pink circle and thoughtfully touching my fingers to my lips. Maybe it’s the allure of acting out, or maybe this straightforward feedback mirrors the real gratification I glean from phone use. I fall into the category of habitual phone users, with nearly 2,000 triumphs in Sawayama Solitaire to show for it.

If obeying instructions from a clever phone-based game is as momentarily engrossing as endlessly scrolling through Bluesky, then I have to ask myself: what am I really doing here?