Since its release in mid-October, one simulated game has taken the teenage world by storm. BitLife, a game controlled by pressing buttons which correlate to life choices, has become addictive for many.

Upon opening the game, the player is greeted with a disclaimer stating any resemblance to real life events or people are complete coincidences. It’s made very clear at the beginning that all characters and events are fictional and randomly chosen.

The game itself can be described as the “circle of life,“ as each game starts the same way: a new life is born when the game begins, and the death of the same avatar signals the end.

The game seems monotonous—it appears the same every time, but that is the complete opposite of what it is. The avatar changes with each life, so each time a new game  is started, there’s a new journey to embark on and a new set of skills to develop.

BitLife makes sure there are diverse characters with varied sets of abilities and backgrounds, as no two people are the exact same. Unlike other life simulation games, where one builds each avatar, BitLife supplies a randomized one each game. Another major difference from games similar to BitLife is the player controls each step of their avatar’s life—from aging them to an adult to dropping out of elementary school,  there are no prompted tasks or scripted responses anywhere in the game.

The game is so addictive, players find themselves tuning out the outside world and only being aware of what is happening in the game. An example of this is people blurting out random things that sound strange to others without the context of the game, like “an acquaintance has offered me 24,000 dollars to take a suspicious-looking bag to Ethiopia.”   Usually this is a guaranteed head turner.

If you have plenty of down time or just need something new to help you procrastinate, then I suggest downloading BitLife. You get to enjoy all the experiences of life without dealing with the consequences. It’s a fun and stress-reducing game that creates great stories to share with your friends. I’d give it a 4.5/5 stars because as fun as it is, once a new game is started, it’s hard to put down.