I spend a lot of time talking about YouTube and computer games or board and card games with complicated mechanics. Yet I frequently overlook some of the simple things that can be just as entertaining.
Slinkys, for instance. It’s just a boring metal coil, right? Nope. This isn’t a commercial, so I’m not going to delve into all of the cool things that this metal coil can do, because I don’t get paid to do that. I’m just pointing out that there are plenty of things you can do with a Slinky when you’re bored that are just as fun as other games. People obsess over bottle-flipping. You can Slinky-flip too! Or just swing it around like a lasso, or bounce it on the floor, or… Never mind. Not a commercial, not a commercial….
Some people use stress balls, but I’ve always found those to lack entertainment value and engagement. I prefer Chinese medicine balls (Wikepedia says that they’re also called Baoding balls), which are a pair of (usually) metal balls that you rotate in one hand. That alone opens up several possibilities. Clockwise, counter-clockwise, over each other (not how they were meant to be used, but sometimes when I’m bored I rotate them vertically instead)… but then when you’re a master with your dominant hand, you can switch sides!
The last seemingly simple entertainment form that I’m going to mention today are fidget spinners. Yes, that fad has come and gone. They always do. But I feel that they were overlooked as an actual fun thing to do, and that people just got them to be “cool” and “with it.” I generally avoid joining fads like that, so, I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant about getting one, but I’m glad that I did. Instead of rotational direction, like with Baoding balls, I generally switch which finger I’m flicking the spinner with.
It should be noted that I use all three of these mostly as an absent-minded form of entertainment, particularly when I’m doing something else (namely watching YouTube or TV). Not only are they fun, but they help me focus by giving me something to do with my hands while I’m watching (I’m one of those people who has trouble sitting still and paying attention, even when whatever it is that I’m watching is fun or interesting).
