I've been so numb from working overtime recently that I really don't want to turn on my computer when I get home at night, let alone play those mobile games that require constant daily grinding. My gaming time is basically fragmented: a little over twenty minutes on the subway in the morning, about ten minutes after lunch during my break, and maybe five minutes before bed at night. So lately I've been looking for games that don't require team play, don't have time-limited events, and can be exited at any time. Last week I downloaded 'My Favorite Color'; at first, judging by the name, I thought it would be some kind of delicate, artsy game, but it turned out to be quite suitable for commuters.
It mainly has two parts: puzzles and coloring. First, you choose a picture when you enter. Some are in anime style, and some are small scenes, flowers, animals, and the like. The puzzle gameplay is a bit like putting together pieces of a picture book, and once completed, you can unlock a line drawing, which you can then color. This design is quite clever; it doesn't just throw a bunch of coloring pictures at you. Instead, you assemble the puzzle first, which gives a small sense of achievement. Coloring it afterwards gives you a feeling of 'I earned this picture.' 😄
It's easy to get started. You're given a palette of colors, click on an area to fill it, and if you make a mistake, you can fix it—you don't need any drawing skills. The first time I played, I chose an anime girl picture with larger color blocks. During lunch break, I filled in some colors while eating a convenience store rice ball. In about ten minutes, I had filled in about half of the face. Although the details weren't as fine as the pros, watching the colors gradually fill in was really relaxing. Especially when you have meetings in the afternoon, filling in a few strokes feels more comfortable than scrolling short videos—at least your eyes and mind get a little break from work.
Puzzle parts are also suitable for fragmented time. Some puzzles aren't very difficult and can be tapped with one hand on the subway, playing even while swaying. Of course, for very detailed images, it's better to wait until you reach your stop, otherwise it's easy to tap incorrectly. My little tip is: on the commute, prioritize pictures with large color blocks and clear divisions, don't challenge those with hair strands and intricate petal details—it will really strain your eyes. During a slightly longer lunch break, you can start with a small puzzle and then slowly color after unlocking the album. If you work late at night, I just color a few areas, not forcing myself to finish all at once. Anyway, it will save your progress so you can continue next time. This is very important for office workers, no need to clock in like at work to complete daily tasks. 🙃
I think the advantages are that it's free, lightweight, and stress-free, making it suitable for truly fragmented time. The platform requirements state 5.0, and running it on my Android device doesn't cause much strain. The content categories are fairly rich, so people who like anime and drawing should be able to find plenty of pictures they want to color. There are also disadvantages: with too many pictures, it's easy to experience choice overload; I often spend five minutes just on the selection screen, and by the time I finish, the subway is almost at my stop. Some pictures have very detailed areas, and coloring them on a small screen can make your fingers sore. If you have OCD and want every picture to be perfect, you can unknowingly spend a lot of time. So don't treat it as a task—just enjoy it as a digital stress-relief toy.
In terms of fees, so far I've been playing for free and haven't encountered a situation where you can't progress at all without paying, which is friendly for both students and office workers. The developer is Shenzhen Kesheng Network Technology Co., Ltd.; I specifically checked the name because nowadays many mini-games have absurd amounts of ads, but this one is relatively quiet for now. Of course, everyone's experience may be different, and if there are more ads later, don't blame me—I'm just an ordinary subway player. 😂
In short, if you are the kind of person who is too tired to play games after work and doesn't want to just scroll through short videos during your commute, you can try 'My Favorite Colors'. No grinding, no socializing, no being scolded by teammates, and no one cares whether your coloring looks good or not. For a 25-year-old office worker like me, being able to quietly finish coloring a small area on the subway during the morning rush is already a low-cost way to recharge. 🎨