Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Last night, I went for five and a half hours without electricity, thanks to an ice storm. I’m sure we can all relate. So, here’s a few thoughts I came up with to help fellow gamers survive without electricity.

1. During the daylight hours, read. No, I’m not joking – stay with me for a minute. I know you’re bored, but leave your handheld consoles till after dark… while it’s light enough to, read that stack of gaming magazines you haven’t had the time for, read game manuals, walkthroughs, anything. An acceptable alternative is to play any non-backlit games, such as an original Game Boy Advance, or that Texas Hold’Em handheld you got for $5 at Woot.

2. Once it’s dark out, bring out your laptop or your handhelds. Now that it’s dark, you can turn your screens to the dimmest setting and have no trouble seeing, which will help preserve your batteries. And since you’ll be sitting somewhere gaming, not walking around, you can turn off your flashlight and save the batteries. Assuming they were all fully charged before the power went out, you’ll get 2-3 hours out of your laptop, and perhaps 4 on your PSP (it varies widely depending on your game) and 6 on your DS. If you’re like me and have your old GBA SP stashed away, you might even get a few hours out of it, assuming again that it’s charged. Dim backlight? Pshaw, in the pitch black it’ll be easy to see. If you’re lucky, your assortment will get you through to bedtime.

3. Have a stash of games nearby. You’ll get sick of Clubhouse Games pretty quickly and want to switch out, and who wants to go looking for another game in the dark? (not to mention the cold when it’s winter and the heat’s out.)

4. Don’t forget to conserve power…perhaps save watching that UMD movie for another time. You might actually want to take a gaming break and watch a movie if you have one of those rechargable portable DVD players that’s already charged. If you have a laptop, you’ll get more battery power out of a game that’s on the hard drive vs. one that’s on a CD/DVD. Don’t forget to kill the antivirus (you’re not online anyways) and all other extraneous programs to maximize your battery life.

5. Going out? Take your various electronic devices and their AC adapters, and car adapters if you have them. If you’re, say, going to the grocery store, stop off at Starbucks or Panera Bread where they’re used to people plugging in laptops, and charge up. (Be sure to buy something too.) Or, stop at a friend’s who has power, and charge there.

6. Batteries run out? Don’t overlook your cellphone – it might have come with crappy demos, but some do come with full games, and you can surf your provider’s net for more… it’s up to you whether a few dollars, plus download charges if you don’t have an internet bundle, are worth a little entertainment. (Please note – I’m assuming you have a corded landline that is still operational… don’t run down your cellphone’s battery if it’s your only connection to the outside world!)

7. Do unto others – I know you’ve gotten really desperate by this point, but don’t snarf your dad’s PDA for solitaire without permission. Might not make him too happy.

8. Going to bed? Plug in your handhelds… the power might come back on during the night… if it goes back out again before morning, you still might get some charge out of it.

Hang in there and before you know it, your power will be back on.

I hope you’ve had fun with this article…add your tips in the comments!