Torn City: an exercise in fascinating boredom

United Kingdom
September 10, 2015 8:34pm CST
Does anyone here play Torn City? I've been playing a bit for the last six months or so. Actually, it is one of the most boring games I have ever played, but there is a sort of fascination about the boredom! Basically, you are trying to survive in a crime-ridden city. You can get a job, perform crimes on your own, join a faction to perform crimes with others, attack and mug other players, travel to other countries to buy goods (and mug/get mugged), trade in goods, speculate on the stock exchange, search the city and rubbish dump for potentially valuable items, spring people from jail. The extent of your activity is limited by the amount of energy and nerve you have and this increases as you level up. Really though, the main thing you are supposed to do is spend all the energy you have clicking mindlessly in the "gym" so as to increase your battle stats. I don't bother, because that is so boring. A lot of the time you are unable to do anything much, either because you are travelling in a plane or because you have been dumped in jail for failing a crime or in hospital because of being attacked by another player. The game has been going for more than 10 years, and some players date back to the start. The older players have little patience for noobs. I've not contributed to the forums or chat channels and do not intend to do so ever. If people don't like what you say (and they loathe even the mildest criticism of the game), they simply attack and hospitalise you, after flaming you. I've been in some toxic forum environments in my time, but none equal the toxicity of the Torn City forums! Scamming is permitted and predators lurk on the chat channels hoping to rip-off the gullible with dodgy deals. It is hard to believe that such a game has survived so long, but as I said, there is something fascinating in participating in such a boring activity when I need a few minutes break from work.
2 people like this
2 responses
• Preston, England
14 Sep 15
I am not a games player at all and this sounds an odd one with its gym activity between crime sprees. glad you enjoy it despite the tedium level you describe.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64360)
• United Kingdom
18 Sep 15
Surely you could find a less boring game?
• United Kingdom
20 Sep 15
As I said there's a sort of fascination in the boredom, LOL! It only takes a few minutes at a time, so I dip into it when I want a little pause from work :)
1 person likes this