Flow Free–Just One of the Games Teens Dig

I recently realized that although my teenage sons are never detached from their smartphones, I don’t know beyond texting, social media, and Angry Birds, what they are up to on there. After discussing their phone activities and learning that they weren’t doing much more beyond the previously mentioned, I decided to pose the question on our church youth group page to learn what other teens were “into.”

Yes, this is a pocket comb with a saying on it. We were COOL back in the day!

What I discovered was an incredibly varied use of smartphone technology, which teens seem to use to express their individuality -- much like those giant back pocket combs with “sayings” on them did for my friends in the 1970s.

While they gave me many new apps to explore and review, today I’m going to share Flow Free, a more than slightly addicting puzzle game.

I suppose it was because I just came through a very difficult news week, living only 30 miles south of Boston, that I was drawn to this type of “take your mind off of things” Android app (it's also available on iOS, too).

While tragedies like the Boston Marathon Bombings and Texas plant explosion remind us how precious our time on earth can be; it also shows how stressful and overwhelming it can be. The first reaction to either condition is always prayer, but it is my personal feeling that it is perfectly fine now and then to whittle away some time and tension with a good ole brain game! I was never one to really master Sudoku, and with my favorite Facebook game (Word Twist) defunct, I was excited to discover Flow Free.

Basically you connect matching color dots (creating what they call pipes between the dots) without crossing the pipes while filling up the entire board. There are hundreds of levels, and you can connect at will, or race a clock.

I have two warnings with regard to the Flow Free app. First, if you are on a long car ride, and you are in need of a rest area break TURN OFF the volume, or else the dripping water sound effect may become a need for an emergency pit stop! Second, the challenge and exhilaration of completing “perfect” rounds can drag you into extended periods of play. It is a battery-killer for sure – but worth every recharge!

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