Falling Asleep In Airplane Mode, A Real-Time Airplane Passenger Simulator
it also kinda helps if you have an insomnia problem.
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How would you spend a couple of leisurely hours in the cramped spaces of an airline passenger seat? Besides pursuing a very limited range of in-flight entertainment such as decades-old movies and card games, I would simply stare into emptiness or fiddle with my phone until I fall asleep from sheer monotony.
Which is exactly what I did in Airplane Mode, a flight simulator of sorts that doesn’t put you in the cockpit as a pilot, but as a passenger in a long-haul commercial flight across the Atlantic. Everything in this game happens in real time, and to its credit, it’s also meticulously and extremely realistic. You can take a two hour flight to Halifax, Canada, or be a tad more adventurous with a five hour ride to Reykjavík, Iceland. Regardless of what you choose, however, you’ll be sitting till your butt grows numb—but at least you’ll have a window seat—while the plane shambles to your destination. To better replicate the feeling of not having enough wriggle room for your legs, I pushed my computer chair further under my table.
The flight begins with very little fanfare: a public address announcement by the pilot imploring you to enjoy your flight, and a reminder to watch through a meandering safety video—you know, all the rigmarole of being an airline passenger. Given that I haven’t been flying for a while due to the pandemic, there’s actually some small thrill in looking around and examining the back seat monitor, tray table, coat hook, and other airplane paraphernalia around the passenger seat. There is even an in-flight magazine you can look at, too—complete with fully fleshed-out articles and an introductory note by the airline CEO that no one ever reads unless they’re really, really bored. Which is me! Then I leisurely flipped through the rest of the magazine, and stared at the recommended dining options in Beirut.
Of course, the safety video starts playing in a couple of minutes, which I blithely ignore like I always do in real life. Turns out I am the only passenger who wasn’t staring intently into the screen; my neighbour had his eyes transfixed onto the video, as if examining every pixel on the monitor. I attempted to make some small talk, but my mouth won’t say a word. Neither will he, anyway; like an automaton, his eyes appear mechanical and lifeless. There’s an airline safety card in the backseat pocket, lovingly laminated and resounding with a satisfying wobble when I pulled it out. The safety video is still playing.
One thing about Airplane Mode is that every single interactable object is initially electrifying, even if it’s also incredibly mundane, which adds to the childlike wonder of “wow, this feels exactly like a real airplane!” of the game. Take for instance the backpack you’ve brought along with you, which is filled with several items to help while away your time. There’s a blank notebook, a complete novel called ‘Against the Grain’ by Joris-Karl Huysmans, a ballpoint pen, some headphones, and a smartphone. Using the pen to doodle on my book was a marvel, if only for the novelty of being able to draw something in a game that’s as mind-numbingly slow as Airplane Mode. Once every few minutes I will also tug at the coat hook or fiddle around with the controls for the television screen. I can even adjust the volume, and watch the satellite imagery of my flight path or a Bug Bunny cartoon. The skies, too, are a lovely shade of celeste. I soon fell asleep—in real life, on my computer seat—as the ambient sound of the airline cabin and the occasional crying baby purrs gently in my ears.
I soon jolted awake, however, which is just in time for a drink. Yes, the flight attendant is now going around asking if anyone is parched. My neighbour is still staring into his screen, transfixed by the single, unmoving scene taking place. I so wanted to kick the seat in front out of sheer boredom, but my legs won’t let me do so, since I’m a very well-behaved passenger. I pick out a drink from the in-flight menu—a cup of tomato juice—and the attendant returns to her push cart, mixing a drink outside the frame. Then she turns back and stares at me dead-eyed, a small polite smile etched on her face. “Hello,” she says. “Open your tray table, please.” She hands me a small tray with a glass of red liquid. I picked it up (I picked it up! Wow!) and placed the glass on my table. Then I sip the drink until there’s not a single drop of liquid left. My neighbour whips out his phone and stares at the device.
Aside from all these there isn’t much more to do in Airplane Mode. You can use the toilet—although you cannot partake in the uncomfortable sensation of wedging your body awkwardly against the backseat so your butt wouldn’t smash into your neighbour’s face, since the game would automatically teleport you into the cubicle. You can look forward to the in-flight menu and enjoy a less-than-sumptuous feast. You can also listen to podcasts already downloaded into your phone, such as an ASMR channel, which can be pretty hypnotic. Or you can doze off—like me—in real life, on your chair, until the plane lands. The pleasures of such ennui-inducing airplane rides may be inaccessible to me right now, but at least there’s always Airplane Mode, reminding me that I’ve just spent two hours in front of my computer, pretending I am miles high above the clouds.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/falling-asleep-in-airplane-mode-a-real-time-airplane-passenger-simulator/