I am looking at a little guy on my screen. He is sitting on an orange dirt bike, wearing a helmet, and waiting for me to press the "Up" arrow key.
The game is called Moto X3M. I have played it hundreds of times. I played it in high school. I played it in the college library. Now that I have a job, I am still playing it. I should be bored by now, but I’m not.
Why is this simple old bike game better than the big, expensive games of today?
Many modern games are too slow. If I want to play a game on my phone or console, I have to wait. I have to download a 100GB file. I have to wait for updates. I have to watch long videos. I have to learn 20 different buttons.
Moto X3M is different. I go to NetGameX, click the game, and I am racing in five seconds. There is no story. I don’t care why the man is on the bike or where he is going. I just want to move.
The controls are very simple. Even a kid can understand them. Up is gas, down is brake, left and right are for balance. It is simple, but it is not easy. That is the secret. It is easy to start, but very hard to be perfect.
In real life, I hate failing. If I make a mistake at work, I feel bad. If I trip on the street, I feel embarrassed.
In Moto X3M, failing is fun. The game uses a "physics engine." This means the bike and the rider move like they are in the real world, but a bit crazier. If I hit a wall too fast, my rider doesn't just stop. He flies into the air like a ragdoll. He might hit a pile of TNT and explode. Sometimes his head falls off, or the bike lands on top of him.
The best part is that it doesn’t follow the rules of the real world. I love the challenges in each level. Every stage has something new. I have to fly through strange tracks and pray for a safe landing. It feels like an action movie because everything happens so fast.
When you die, the game doesn't make you wait. You just press the "R" key, and you are back at the start instantly. There is no one-minute "Game Over" screen. The game knows you want to try again right away.
For me, just finishing a level is not enough. I want those three stars. I look at the timer and see I was only one second too slow, so I play the level again.
Everyone gets bored sometimes, and Moto X3M is the perfect "boredom killer." It is a browser game, so I can play it on any computer or phone. It doesn't matter if the computer is old or slow. This is why it is so popular in schools and offices.
When I was a student, I always looked for "unblocked games." I wanted games that the school network would not block. Moto X3M was the king of those games. Everyone in class played it. We compared our scores and laughed when we saw each other fail.
People spend $70 on new racing games with realistic cars and 4K graphics. Those games are okay, but they are not as addictive as this. I don't need to see the sun reflecting on a chrome bumper. I just need a bike that can do flips and a level that is trying to kill me. It is about the feeling of speed and the rhythm of the jumps. It is about those "perfect moments" where you land on one wheel and keep going. You can always try to do one more flip. It is a race against yourself.
If you are sitting at your desk and feeling bored, or if you are tired of your daily routine, go to NetGameX. Search for Moto X3M and start the first level.