In September 2022 there were huge queues along the banks of the River Thames as people waited to pay their respects to the Queen. The queue became something of a phenomenon, with its own website, toilets, water points. Some people waited more than 24 hours as they slowly walked the 10 miles.
The experience of queuing for something is quintessentially British, although no one seems to be able to put their finger on why. When we Brits see a queue there is the urge to join it, even before we know what the queue is for. Perhaps, living on our crowded little islands makes us wary of missing out.
These video games lean into this idea of waiting a long time for something you need. This might be daylight in a game like The Longing where you literally have to wait hundreds of days before you can escape your underground dwelling. Or it can be something like Bird Alone, where you make conversation with the other creature who is waiting with you, in this case a friendly parrot. Or maybe you wait with other people slowly recovering in hospital, in a game like Wayward Strand, who appreciate the company.
These games all share a common disempowerment of the player. There's little you can do to move the clock forwards or progress time, apart from being willing to wait and find patience.
This list includes 11 games from the last 10 years, with 273 likes. They come from a range of different genres and play-styles and are all good games if you want to wait a long time.
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