<s>
Incremental	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
clicker	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
clicking	B-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
on	O
PCs	O
)	O
or	O
tap	O
games	O
(	O
in	O
mobile	O
games	O
)	O
,	O
are	O
video	O
games	O
whose	O
gameplay	O
consists	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
performing	O
simple	O
actions	O
such	O
as	O
clicking	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
repeatedly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
"	O
grinding	B-Application
"	O
earns	O
the	O
player	O
in-game	B-Application
currency	I-Application
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
rate	O
of	O
currency	O
acquisition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
games	O
,	O
even	O
the	O
clicking	O
becomes	O
unnecessary	O
at	O
some	O
point	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
plays	O
itself	O
,	O
including	O
in	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
absence	O
,	O
hence	O
the	O
moniker	O
idle	B-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
incremental	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
players	O
perform	O
simple	O
actions	O
–	O
usually	O
clicking	O
a	O
button	O
or	O
object	O
–	O
which	O
rewards	O
the	O
player	O
with	O
currency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rapid	O
growth	O
of	O
cost	O
,	O
power	O
and	O
rewards	O
is	O
what	O
makes	O
incremental	B-Application
games	I-Application
fun	O
and	O
satisfying	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
difference	O
being	O
that	O
in	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
this	O
mechanism	O
is	O
natural	O
,	O
whereas	O
in	O
other	O
social	O
games	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
construct	O
intended	O
to	O
constrain	O
the	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
mechanism	O
provides	O
moments	O
of	O
joy	O
spread	O
out	O
throughout	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
to	O
counter	O
boredom	O
and	O
grinding	B-Application
feeling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
late-game	O
or	O
advanced	O
mechanism	O
,	O
some	O
games	O
feature	O
a	O
reset-based	O
system	O
or	O
"	O
New	O
Game	O
Plus	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
term	O
coined	O
by	O
Chrono	B-Application
Trigger	I-Application
(	O
1995	O
)	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
resets	O
the	O
progress	O
of	O
their	O
game	O
and	O
gains	O
another	O
form	O
of	O
currency	O
(	O
prestige	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Incremental	B-Application
games	I-Application
vary	O
as	O
to	O
whether	O
they	O
have	O
a	O
victory	O
condition	O
:	O
games	O
like	O
Cookie	B-Application
Clicker	I-Application
allow	O
the	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
indefinitely	O
,	O
while	O
games	O
like	O
Candy	B-Application
Box	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
or	O
Universal	B-Application
Paperclips	I-Application
feature	O
endings	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
reached	O
after	O
a	O
certain	O
amount	O
of	O
progress	O
is	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pioneered	O
by	O
AdVenture	B-Operating_System
Capitalist	I-Operating_System
,	O
developers	O
may	O
sell	O
premium	O
boost	O
such	O
as	O
instant	O
currency	O
infusion	O
(	O
usually	O
a	O
percentage	O
of	O
current	O
rate	O
of	O
income	O
)	O
or	O
sometimes	O
wrapped	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
time-warp	O
"	O
(	O
instantly	O
gain	O
x-hours	O
of	O
future	O
income	O
)	O
,	O
permanent	O
boost	O
multiplier	O
that	O
persist	O
after	O
each	O
prestiging	O
,	O
instant	O
prestige	O
(	O
claiming	O
prestige	O
without	O
starting	O
over	O
)	O
,	O
protection	O
against	O
negative	O
events	O
,	O
gacha	O
system	O
(	O
random	O
draws	O
of	O
a	O
character	O
or	O
a	O
permanent	O
bonus	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
event	O
currencies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
,	O
they	O
may	O
also	O
deliver	O
advertisements	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
receive	O
minor	O
rewards	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
short	O
burst	O
of	O
cash	O
,	O
doubling	O
offline	O
earnings	O
,	O
small	O
amount	O
of	O
premium	B-Application
currency	I-Application
,	O
brief	O
powerful	O
boost/medium	O
-length	O
small	O
boost	O
,	O
extra	O
prestige	O
points	O
upon	O
prestiging	O
,	O
relief	O
of	O
a	O
negative	O
status	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Anthony	O
Pecorella	O
in	O
his	O
GDC	O
summit	O
talks	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
idle	B-Application
game	I-Application
was	O
attributed	O
to	O
Progress	B-Protocol
Quest	I-Protocol
(	O
2002	O
)	O
by	O
Eric	O
Fredriksen	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
parody	O
of	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
's	O
stats	O
and	O
auto-attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
visual	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
"	O
rudimentary	O
RPG	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
Pecorella	O
)	O
was	O
Ayumilove	O
's	O
HackerStory	O
v1	O
(	O
2008	O
,	O
by	O
Ayumilove	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
parody	O
of	O
bot	O
grinding	B-Application
in	O
a	O
Maple	B-Protocol
Story	I-Protocol
game	O
,	O
a	O
famous	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
from	O
Korea	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
early	O
pioneers	O
of	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
also	O
saw	O
some	O
games	O
parodying	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Anti-Idle	O
(	O
2009	O
,	O
by	O
tukkun	O
)	O
which	O
has	O
both	O
elements	O
of	O
active	O
and	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
and	O
is	O
extremely	O
complicated	O
,	O
content-rich	O
,	O
and	O
constantly	O
updated	O
;	O
it	O
helped	O
popularize	O
the	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
idle	B-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
Facebook	O
platform	O
,	O
called	O
Cow	B-Application
Clicker	I-Application
(	O
2010	O
,	O
by	O
Ian	O
Bogost	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
author	O
,	O
"	O
a	O
satire	O
and	O
playable	O
theory	O
of	O
social	B-Application
games	I-Application
circa	I-Application
that	I-Application
era	I-Application
,	O
...	O
Facebook	O
games	O
distilled	O
to	O
their	O
essence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
parody	O
of	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
and	O
parody	O
of	O
capitalism	O
)	O
called	O
AdVenture	B-Operating_System
Capitalist	I-Operating_System
(	O
2015	O
,	O
by	O
Cody	O
Vigue	O
/	O
Hyper	O
Hippo	O
Games	O
)	O
also	O
saw	O
success	O
as	O
a	O
browser	O
game	O
and	O
was	O
subsequently	O
made	O
available	O
in	O
many	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
games	O
to	O
implement	O
monetization	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
offline	O
earning	O
which	O
calculates	O
the	O
progress	O
of	O
a	O
player	O
during	O
the	O
time	O
they	O
are	O
offline	O
,	O
unlike	O
previous	O
browser-based	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
which	O
only	O
run	O
when	O
open	O
in	O
a	O
browser	O
window	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
did	O
not	O
follow	O
the	O
infinite	O
ending	O
,	O
and	O
instead	O
opt	O
for	O
finite	O
ending	O
,	O
more	O
like	O
puzzle-like	O
and	O
exploration	O
based	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
A	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
Room	I-Application
(	O
2013	O
,	O
by	O
Doublespeak	O
Games	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Candy	B-Application
Box	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Incremental	B-Application
games	I-Application
gained	O
popularity	O
in	O
2013	O
after	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Cookie	B-Application
Clicker	I-Application
,	O
although	O
earlier	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Cow	B-Application
Clicker	I-Application
and	O
Candy	B-Application
Box	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Make	B-Application
It	I-Application
Rain	I-Application
(	O
2014	O
,	O
by	O
Space	O
Inch	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
mobile	O
idle	B-Application
game	I-Application
success	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
idle	O
elements	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
heavily	O
limited	O
,	O
requiring	O
check-ins	O
to	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
gaming	O
press	O
observed	O
such	O
games	O
proliferating	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
distribution	O
platform	O
with	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Clicker	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
(	O
2014	O
,	O
by	O
Playsaurus	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nathan	O
Grayson	O
of	O
Kotaku	O
attributed	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
to	O
their	O
ability	O
to	O
provide	O
unchallenging	O
distractions	O
that	O
fit	O
easily	O
into	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
daily	O
routine	O
,	O
while	O
using	O
themes	O
and	O
aesthetics	O
of	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
games	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
be	O
appealing	O
to	O
a	O
"	O
core	O
gamer	O
"	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julien	O
"	O
Orteil	B-Application
"	O
Thiennot	O
(	O
creator	O
of	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Cookie	B-Application
Clicker	I-Application
)	O
described	O
his	O
own	O
works	O
as	O
"	O
non-games	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2014	O
,	O
Orteil	B-Application
released	O
an	O
early	O
version	O
of	O
Idle	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Maker	O
,	O
a	O
tool	O
allowing	O
customized	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
to	O
be	O
made	O
without	O
coding	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commenting	O
on	O
the	O
parodic	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
,	O
Pecorella	O
commented	O
that	O
"	O
[	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
is ]	O
a	O
genre	O
that	O
's	O
almost	O
does	O
n't	O
want	O
to	O
exist	O
;	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
joke	O
,	O
but	O
despite	O
itself	O
,	O
keeps	O
being	O
really	O
successful	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
popular	O
idle-games	O
in	O
general	O
,	O
"	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
these	O
are	O
just	O
glorified	O
spreadsheet	O
with	O
some	O
really	O
neat	O
mechanics	O
in	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
genre	O
has	O
in	O
many	O
ways	O
influenced	O
other	O
genres	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shooting	O
games	O
,	O
RPGs	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
genres	O
also	O
starts	O
to	O
introduce	O
short	O
prestige	O
loop	O
or	O
mini	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
within	O
,	O
while	O
some	O
introduces	O
offline	O
progress	O
to	O
entice	O
players	O
to	O
return	O
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
genre	O
blends	O
,	O
from	O
idle	O
rhythm	O
games	O
to	O
RPGs	O
,	O
to	O
puzzle	O
and	O
dating	O
sims	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
auto	B-Application
clicker	I-Application
is	O
automation	O
software	O
or	O
a	O
macro	O
that	O
is	O
generally	O
used	O
to	O
automate	O
the	O
clicking	O
(	O
or	O
tapping	O
)	O
process	O
in	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
idle	B-Application
games	I-Application
employ	O
clicking	O
as	O
a	O
method	O
to	O
gain	O
currency	O
while	O
active	O
(	O
to	O
complement	O
to	O
the	O
idle	O
element	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
players	O
may	O
sometimes	O
employ	O
an	O
auto	B-Application
clicker	I-Application
to	O
automate	O
this	O
part	O
,	O
thus	O
getting	O
resources/currency	O
much	O
faster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pecorella	O
,	O
in	O
his	O
2016	O
GDC	O
summit	O
talk	O
,	O
argues	O
that	O
auto	B-Application
clickers	I-Application
are	O
considered	O
necessary	O
by	O
any	O
"	O
serious	O
"	O
idle	B-Application
game	I-Application
players	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
not	O
cheating	O
,	O
but	O
rather	O
an	O
exploration	O
of	O
an	O
error	O
in	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
