I am addicted to the game 2048. I played it when it first came out, and somehow it lodged itself in my head and won’t get unstuck. I’ll play it during meetings, watching TV, or anything that doesn’t require my full attention but requires me to sit still. It’s my digital fidget spinner.

2048 is a simple game. It’s a sliding tile puzzle game where you slide numbered tiles and they double as they combine. The goal is to get the 2048 tile. You can also keep playing after you won and get bigger and bigger numbers.

It was written in 2014 by Gabriele Cirulli₁ in JavaScript and CSS. It’s open-source and it went viral as people started creating their own versions of the game. I wrote one called “50” as a tongue-and-cheek reference to 50 Shades of Gray. I thought it would be funny to make it to go though shades of gray instead of going from grey through red to yellow. Also, instead of doubling and going to 2048, it adds 5 every time and you win at 50.

So what have I learned from obsessively playing the same game for over 8 years? Glad you asked! I thought about it much deeper than one really ought to and came up with these life lessons:

• The smaller numbers are the most important.
• Think multiple steps ahead.
• Consider all the outcomes of your next action.
• You have to deal with random chance the best you can.
• It’s just a game. You don’t have to play it.
• You need different strategies depending on how much you have.
• If you win and keep going, eventually you lose.
• Don’t give up until the last minute, because sometimes you can pull a miracle.
• Doubling quickly gets out of hand.
• Try to stack as many things as possible to save space.
• When waiting for a better opportunity, sometimes it never comes.
• It is possible to play two sides at once, but it weakens both positions.