You are Atlas

July 14, 2023 11:38 AM

You are Atlas. You hold up the sky. A (very silly) not-really-a-game by Aidan Strong, who also has a blog with interesting thoughts on gaming.
posted by AndrewStephens (15 comments total)

I helped for about 30 seconds.

You can't actually watch the sky fall because if you're there, it can't.

The ultimate idle game.
posted by hippybear at 11:45 AM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Let it fall.
posted by senor biggles at 11:58 AM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Now that it's been posted on MetaFilter, I'm sure the surge of site traffic means the sky will never fall again, eh chums?
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 12:04 PM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I feel like there's an interesting version of this game where there's a "hold up the sky" button that you need to keep pressed to keep the sky up, making it an active game instead of an idle game. Some people would work to take turns and swap out; others might hold up the sky just until everyone else lets go just to see what would happen when you let it drop. Anyway, I'd say more except I've got this boulder that isn't going to just roll itself uphill.
posted by phooky at 1:45 PM on July 14, 2023 [4 favorites]

Take your boulder to one of those mystery mansions. Things roll uphill on their own in those places every day.
posted by hippybear at 1:49 PM on July 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Well, I would keep it above
But then it wouldn't be sky anymore
So, if I send it to you
You've got to promise to keep it home
posted by tommasz at 1:56 PM on July 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

It does need a Chicken Little subgame...
posted by hippybear at 1:58 PM on July 14, 2023

by Adrian Strong

Eponysterical.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:02 PM on July 14, 2023

> Things roll uphill on their own in those places every day.

But would the result be more or less happiness to then have to push it downhill? What of the revolt, freedom, and passion!?

Or in non-western (Vedic) thinking, to find self-renunciation & liberation through “world supporting.” The Gita as the ULTIMATE idle game.
posted by rubatan at 5:11 PM on July 14, 2023

(1) well, the sky hasn't fallen since this was posted, so good job Mefites!

(2) I read the top post on his blog about idle games and wow, really blew my mind and instantly soured me on my idle game du jour (FarmRPG which is a really good game in the genre).
posted by muddgirl at 7:28 PM on July 14, 2023

This game needs a chat room for the people holding up the sky
posted by gt2 at 11:20 PM on July 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

(don't worry friends, only a few hours and I am back growing fake corn and fake potatoes for my hourly dose of dopamine).
posted by muddgirl at 11:33 PM on July 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Mod note: Corrected creator's name from to Aidan
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 7:19 AM on July 15, 2023

I refuse to hold up a sky which has unnecessary horizontal and vertical scrollbars. Sorry everyone
posted by oulipian at 7:41 AM on July 15, 2023

Don't apologise. Now that you've pointed that out to me, I've taken the chance to deliberately let the sky fall three times. That'll teach 'em!
posted by dg at 9:08 PM on July 16, 2023