Description

The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Chase…

We spend so much time inside our heads, we often fail to see the world around us clearly. Only by slowing down, noticing our minds have distracted us and letting go can we truly experience life in its purest form.

Nevermind The Distraction is a short, fast-paced, yet surprisingly relaxing abstract solitaire card game inspired by the principles of mindfulness and beginning meditation. Take on the role of The Watcher and engage your own mind in a contest of wills to determine the ultimate fate of your wandering thoughts. Breathe, and try not to get too distracted!

Setup begins by preparing the meditating consciousness using small decks called Distraction Packs. These themed packs contain beautiful and evocative imagery depicting various occurring thoughts. Three packs are combined each game based on your mood, thoughts, or plans for the day, creating a unique visual tableau every session.

Each round starts with the Mind revealing a new thought - or intensifying an existing one - ultimately trying to turn them into Distractions. Distractions cause time to pass more quickly, and when the Timer deck is empty, the mediation is over! The Mind’s ultimate goal is to waste time keeping us distracted as long as possible.

During the Watcher phase, players choose one of these thoughts and take an action to calm or quiet it, pulling it one step back from becoming a Distraction. Do this enough times and a thought is eventually Let Go, releasing it completely and blocking the Mind’s ability to manipulate it. The player’s goal is to Let Go of as many thoughts as possible before the Timer deck runs out.

What follows is an engaging, fast-paced yet relaxing 8-way Tug of War that, when combined with the beautiful minimalist aesthetic, create the perfect conditions for the player to enter a flow state, not unlike that of meditation.

Regular practice will eventually result in a perfect score. These “Zen Master” wins unlock additional levels of game play and introduce new challenges, mechanics and strategies letting the game grow with you.

The short play time, small box and limited table space needed make this an excellent addition to any daily self-care routine regardless of whether or not you practice meditation!

—description from the designer