While students walk the hallways and wait for their friends, a lot of them are on cell phones. While some are checking their Instagram or Twitter for new updates, most are playing 2048.
The goal of the game is to keep sliding different colored tiles across the screen, first two tiles of two together to make four, then two of those four tiles to get eight.  Multiplying them in increments of 2, the players eventually will reach the victorious 2048 tile.

 
A lot of students find themselves sliding the tiles across the screen in a fury to reach this tile.
“So many people play this game because it’s challenging and addictive to play,” sophomore Abby Clayboss said. “After starting, my mindset quickly turned into ‘I want to win,’ then quickly changing to ‘I have to win!’”

 
Some people who have played for months have yet to join the elite who have won, while others have won within weeks of starting the game.
“It took me two weeks to beat the game. Now, I beat it basically every time I play,” freshman Meredith Edelmon said. “You need to be patient.”
This trend has caught on with a lot of people. From boasting rivalries to twitter posts, everyone now seems to know about the game.
“I heard about this game from other people playing the game in other classes about a month ago,” Clayboss said.

 
There are others, though, who have never previously heard of the game.
“I think this trend began because it seems like a fun concept and it caught on when people saw others play. It’s challenging and fun, but still possible,” sophomore Juliana Davis said.
Part of what fueled the popularity of this game was the fact that unlike some games you can get on the app store, there is a possibility of winning.

 
“It’s a fun pastime between class periods,” Davis said. “It creates a goal for the user to achieve the high score and it strengthens player’s math skills in a fun way.”
Those who have claimed victory did not join the bandwagon of those who now play. Most started playing before the game was even popular.

 
“I play games that I enjoy, whether or not it’s popular,” Edelmon said.
Some who play 2048 have now stopped playing altogether.
“It took up too much of my time. I had other, more important occupations than winning,” Clayboss said.

 
Those who have claimed victory in this game have their ways of winning, each one unique to them and their views of how to win the game.

 
“Keep the largest number in the bottom left corner, and don’t randomly swipe- it gets you nowhere,”Edelmon said. “There are also tons of other strategies.”
2048 is a game designed to be a simple concept of sliding tiles endlessley until you win. For some, the game is the  last thing on their minds, while for others the game is an obsession that cannot be underlooked or overseen.