No matter how interesting your major is, there is almost always going to be one lecture or professor that simply will not hold your attention. In these lectures, playing a game might actually be a good way to help you to refocus and keep your attention on the lecture. By allowing the distractible, bored part of your brain to focus on the game, you can listen to your lecture as you play and take in far more information than you would if you just sat there zoning out the whole time. It might seem counter-intuitive, but the trick lies in playing a game that isn’t too engaging and can just be left when you want to focus more on your lecture.
Hades
Nintendo Switch games are a great option for this particular kind of playing as you can simply turn off your switch and it will freeze your progress in the game, keeping you where you are. This makes Hades, on the switch, a great option for a game to play while listening to your lecturer. The roguelike nature of the game means you can keep hurling yourself into the depths of Tartarus and beyond without dedicating too much thought to what you are doing.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Similarly, Breath of the Wild is another great option that you can play on the switch. You can spend your time galivanting throughout the glorious landscapes of Hyrule, doing battle with bokoblins, wizzrobes, and lizalfos, all while keeping your attention on the content of your lecture.
Minecraft
If playing on your switch is a little too overt for your comfort, then playing a game on your laptop might be a better option. If you have a nice fast laptop, like a Lenovo, then you could even alt-tab between your game and your note document to help you take notes even while you’re playing. Minecraft is a great game to play while focusing on your lectures as the gameplay is exceedingly simple, and often you can just stand around for a while without anything bad happening to your character. This means that you can alt-tab with abandon.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Similarly, FTL is a wonderful option for playing in lectures as a large portion of its gameplay revolves around pausing the game to make tactical decisions. Plus, its nature as a sci-fi roguelike means that you can play through the game as often as you’d like and likely still enjoy the solid gameplay and progression as you upgrade your ship and attempt to thwart the rebel plot.
Roller Coaster Tycoon
Another great option for a game that you can simply tab out of when you need to make notes is Roller Coaster Tycoon. This brilliant game revolves around the construction of a park and has very little action inherent in its gameplay. Despite this lack of action, it is still highly enjoyable and is a great option for a low-intensity game that will hold your attention just enough to keep your mind from wandering. This will help you to stay focused on your lecture.