
If you've ever found yourself dreaming of a game and would happily quit your job to play it full time, chances are it's a game with a simple concept that challenges you. Wasting away those precious hours trying to get to level 27 or beating the high score is as satisfying as gaming gets. These addictive 2-button games have been around since the dawn of gaming and the longest lived are usually the simple ones. Anyone who's played Tetris will tell you the large amount of hours they've spent mastering the basic art of making lines out of falling bricks. Simple concepts and two button controls do not necessarily make an easy game, though. After all, how many people do you know that have mastered Donkey Kong?
These games require great hand eye coordination and timing, lots of concentration, and the ability to keep cool under pressure. We all know how frustrating it is when 'Game Over' interrupts the imminent high score, simply because your thumbs became sweaty and your heart started to pound. Contrary to this is the immense sense of relief at seeing that long standing high score shift to a mere second, as there's no substitute for being leader of the pack.

These days, console games tend to use all the buttons available, often applying multiple uses to each one. Complexity alienates the type of people who don't consider themselves gamers, but would admit to spending many an evening lost in Bejewelled. Two-button games are still around today in the arcades or on the DS, but they are even more accessible on mobile phones - let's face it everyone who's old enough has a phone.
When I first got a mobile many moons ago, I was enthralled with the fact it came with a game called Snake. This simple game involved moving a small line around a screen collecting dots. The more you collected, the longer your line became, and the harder the game got. Crashing into yourself (or the wall) resulted in the loss of a life or the game over screen. The idea was to last as long as you could and get a high score. I was the master of the game in my circle of friends and if one of them happened to beat it (rarely), I'd spend lunch-times and entire evenings winning back the crown.