Summary
When I first installedClash of Clansway back in 2015, I had no idea that it would kick start a decade of village upgrades, enemy attacks, and resource plundering. But all good things must come to an end, and after ten years I think it’s finally time for me to retire from my role as village chief.
My First Smartphone Game Was a Base Builder
My first smartphone, a SOLO S400, wasn’t impressive by any standard. The fact that you’ve never heard of it should clue you in. It had 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM, and ran Android 4.3. Even in 2015, those were pretty terrible specs.
Such low specs meant that I didn’t have a chance to play any of thetop mobile game titles. But that was fine. What I had my eye on were the base-building games. They didn’t take up too much space (for which I was extremely strapped) and weren’t too demanding CPU-wise—exactly what I needed.
My first experience with the genre was a game calledClash of Kings. I’d learned about it from a classmate, and it was the first game I downloaded when I got home from the phone shop.
To 15-year-old me,Clash of Kingswas amazing. You were the lord of a medieval kingdom and the core loop involved could upgrade buildings to continually level up. You could also attack other kingdoms, plunder resources from monsters, and defend against attacks on your castle.
If I had just one gripe about the game though, it was that it didn’t give you much control over how to attack your enemies. You could choose the type and quantity of troops to field in a battle, but the actual fight was out of your hands. All you’d get was a little battle animation, but there was no skill or strategy involved. Usually, it was just that whoever was ranked higher won.
I Fell in Love WithClash of Clans
I was dissatisfied withClash of Kings, so I branched out and started exploring other base-building games, and that’s when I stumbled acrossClash of Clans.
It was love at first sight. Not only was it a solid base-building game, but it also solved my main complaint withClash of Kings—it gave me complete control of the attacking process. I could choose what troops to field, where to place them, and what strategy to use.
Before I knew it,Clash of Kingswas a distant mobile gaming memory. Instead, I was devoting countless hours to building myClash of Clansbase. I didn’t have any money to spend on upgrades, so I had to do everything the old-fashioned way—through endless grinding, but I loved every second of it.
I’d save up on gems to buy extra builders so that I’d progress faster. I was always trying to invent the optimal base configuration to protect my gold and elixir. I even used a loot-tracking website to find the perfect time to stage attacks (pro tip: early mornings give the best returns).
Suffice to say, I was pretty serious about the game. But these days, that has been changing more and more.
I’ve Got Less Time to Play Now
The thing about base-building games likeClash of Clansis that they make you check in multiple times a day. There are a gazillion things to do, and they all take a long time to complete. So, if you want to play smart, you need to queue your tasks as soon as possible so that the clock runs down while you’re busy doing something else.
What this means is that you can’t just have one big play session and call it quits. Instead, you need to split your play time and sprinkle it throughout your day.
For example, inClash of Clans, I have to regularly check on my gold and elixir collectors so that they don’t get full and stop producing. Then I have to monitor my upgrades so that none of my builders are ever idle. And then I have to check in whenever my base is attacked to reset my defenses and recover a little loot.
All this intermittent playtime adds up. On some days, I spend upwards of five hours on the game without even realizing it.
This was fine when I was a high school student with basically nothing to do, but as I’ve transitioned into adulthood, it’s become a little harder to justify taking a 20-minute break to get a gaming session in when I have work to do.
The Game Just Keeps Getting Bigger
Even though my gaming time has declined, that’s not the only reason for quitting. After all, ifparents can still make time to game, there’s no reason I can’t either. No, the other reason is that the game has gotten too unwieldy for me.
Compared to when I first installed it in 2015,Clash of Clanshas grown exponentially. A significant part of that increase is improved graphics and game mechanics, but there’s also tons of new content.
The game has sprouted entirely new sections, like the new Builder Base, and a new co-op element called the Clan Capital. Not to mention all the events, season challenges, Clan Games, and more.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the updates. They keep it fresh and interesting, but they also mean there’s so much more to do. Back in the day you could play for a few minutes when you had free time during your day, and you’d make decent progress. But now, you have toinvest way more timeif you don’t want to fall behind.
It also doesn’t help that many of the game tasks are time-sensitive, and if you don’t do them quickly, you could miss out on rewards. It puts pressure on me to play even when I don’t want to.
Clash of Clansisn’t the only game with this problem. Many other base builders use a similar strategy to increase playtime. The problem with this, however, is that trying to keep on top of everything in the game is starting to feel more like a chore than actual fun. Fellow How-To Geek writer Zachary is convinced thatvideo game chores can be fun, but somehow, I don’t think this is what he meant.
Clash of Clansis no longer the casual gaming experience I signed up for in 2015. It’s become more intense, and I don’t think I can keep up.
Maybe It’s Time for a Permanent Break
For a while, I’ve been trying to recreate the feeling I had when I first started playingClash of Clans. I’ve tried everything from taking breaks to trying to brute force my love for the game, but if I’m being honest, I’m just not enjoying it the way I used to.
It’s hard to let go because this game represents hundreds of hours of my life, but considering that a game that was supposed to help me blow off steam is now causing me stress, maybe it’s the right thing to do.
I’d still recommendClash of Clansto anyone who’s looking for a good base builder. It just demands more of me than I’m able to give right now. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years, I’ll pick it back up and rediscover the magic. Or maybe I’llfind a new Android gameto obsess over for the next 10 years.
