Are Merge Games Secretly Digital Hoarding Simulators?

Merge Gaming

In today’s casual and mobile gaming scene, one game genre is standing out among the rest, the Merge Game genre. These are puzzle type games where you combine matching items repeatedly on a grid to make better items. The better items are then combined with like better items to make more better items, and the process goes on and on as the game moves on. To make the games interesting, developers imbed the merge gameplay with narratives and back stories where you help the protagonist do the merging to accomplish certain game objectives.

Today’s merge games are generally addictive and relaxing to play because as you focus in merging the items, the game will reward you with positive psychological triggers that will release a “Dopamine” high in your brain. As nefarious as it sounds, it’s a very good way to counter the boredom and stress from daily life. Lining up the grid in an organized way by merging items wisely and strategically provides a great sensation of accomplishment, aside from the congratulatory sound and visual cues.

Most of these games are played at the player’s pace and provides a constant source of curious discovery as every item upgrade is anticipated as something new. Games are usually easy to start but get more challenging as the grid fills up providing a kind of balanced gameplay that keeps the player addicted and coming back just to see what item can next be unlocked.

Digital Hoarding

Hoarding nowadays is not just physical, it’s digital as well. A typical physical hoarder may look like some senior who’s been collecting brown paper bags in boxes for the last 10 years. Likewise, Digital Hoarders are people (regardless of age) who end up collecting massive amounts of files and data on their devices for long periods of time without ever cleaning them up. These may go up to thousands of unopened emails, text messages, old and duplicate pictures, unused apps, and even notepad files. It can be anything digital that piles up until device memory completely runs out.

Just like physical hoarders, device users keep the files thinking they can still use it someday. It’s like the old paper bag hoarder who needs to wrap something up, no problem, he got plenty in boxes. Digital hoarders are motivated in much the same way thinking they can still use the files, data, or apps one day soon. Others get truly attached to them that deleting may cause serious anxiety to their well-being like losing a piece of their memories or self-identity. The main drawback is that it clutters their devices and slows them down.

Merge Gaming & Digital Hoarding

We now look at the relationship between casual merge games and Digital Hoarding, who experts believe share the same psychological triggers.

Set it Aside for a Rainy Day

As mentioned, digital hoarders are reluctant to delete old data and files to save them for use one day. This goes on until they end pilling up the memory. Likewise, Merge gamers find it difficult deleting items they have spawned thinking they may need it later sometime in the game. Items spawned whatever they may be end up cluttering the grid eventually.

Hoarding Means Security

There is a sense of comfort and security when you got items for use stacked up for when the time comes. Again, let’s go back to paper bag collector, need bag to wrap this or that, no problem, he got a stack in the box. Digital hoarders are the same with files and data. Merge Gamers, spend hours on end organizing and arranging the merged items into cool neat rows giving a feeling of control, security and accomplishment. With the item stack ready for use when needed, the Merge Gamer feels safe.

A good example is the game “Merge & Blade” by Magic Cube, where you merge fighters to create your fighter squad to vanquish the enemy monsters and retake the castles. The game loop goes on as you merge and recruit fighters to keep your squad ready and prepared. That way, you are secure in the knowledge that your collected squad is able and ready to take the fight to the enemy.

Now Addicted, Can’t Stop!

When you start collecting things, you get addicted to it. Whatever items they may be, card collectibles, pocket books, or even brown paper bags, collecting things becomes addictive and turns into a habit. Merge Gamers are a lot susceptible to this because their collected items provide ways to unlock new ones resulting in looping endless paths. What’s more, is the game provides a feeling of limitless as it acts like a digital sandbox that rewards players for collecting more and more items while “secretly” simulating and forming a hoarding habit in the form of a harmless and relaxing puzzle game.