Turn Airport Security Into Laughs
Getting through airport security is inconvenient at best and torturous at its very worst, but the “Airport Scanner” game transforms the experience into some lighthearted fun.
Long lines, full-body scans, uncomfortably intimate pat-downs: despite advances in technology that are supposed to improve the experience all around, airport security is a major drag in an already stressful travel experience. But an app uses this modern ritual as fodder for a simple yet enjoyable game that injects a sense of play and humor in a cartoonish representation of the ordeal.
What’s the App?
Most travelers see the Transportation Security Agency as the enemy to an enjoyable travel excursion, but the Airport Scanner app game, developed by Kedlin Company and available for free for iOS devices, puts you on their team. As a TSA agent, you work your way up from trainee to full-fledged agent, responsible for ferreting out illegal and rare items in an inexorable line of bags to be scanned.
The app is simple enough: each level features items to look out for, and as each bag goes through the scanner, you simply tap on them to flag the luggage. Sounds simple enough, but there are constraints and obstacles to manage as well: everything has to be scanned before the flight takes off — and missing the time limit causes passengers to become disgruntled and loses points. First-class passengers and flight crew members must also be fast-tracked by players, who need to move line barriers to help them get through the security line faster.
The list of illegal items constantly grows, and players have to keep conscientious track of the logbook for the most current additions. The scanner itself speeds up, keeping gameplay fast-paced and busy. There are plenty of opportunities to boost your points beyond scanning, however: you can confiscate rare items and sell them without compromising your integrity as a TSA agent. (Not sure if that’s a comment on the real TSA, however.) In-app purchases let you upgrade your x-ray machine, making it easier to find more difficult items. At its higher levels, users bustle with activity, managing the line and scanning for items at great speed, but the result is absorbing, not stressful.
In addition, cute but simple graphics guarantee the app won’t drain power, and touches of humor here and there keep things light and entertaining.
You’ll Want It If…
You’re a fan of simpler, fast-paced mobile games where you can play for a few minutes here and there while waiting in line (including airport security ones.) The gameplay offers a nice balance of challenge with simplicity, and both kids and adults will enjoy it. The game can get frustrating to play on the iPhone’s smaller screen, however. As the game progresses and more items need to be found, tapping on multiple items in bags becomes more difficult with the smaller screen’s real estate, so these users may prefer to play the game on their tablets instead of smartphones.
It’s Not My Thing — What Else Ya Got?
Airport Scanner is a lot of fun, but like many simpler, relatively linear mobile games, playing it could lose its novelty after a while. It’s really a pleasant, fast-paced diversion, not really an investment of time, energy and imagination. For those who long for more absorbing gameplay combined with weirdly adorable graphics, Battle Bears offers a surreal yet addictive blend of cuteness and complexity in a portable shooter game.
But if you’re looking for a way to keep from going crazy in long airport security line, Airport Scanner is a perfectly amusing way to kill time while adding humor to an often grueling experience.
