Airplane Mode: Live Out Your Dream of Flying Cramped in Coach

It’s now possible to experience the necessary evil of sitting in a cramped space among other sweaty people for hours upon end — all from the comfort of your own home. Airplane Mode, the first video game published by AMC games, is about to land.  

Specifically, this is a simulation game that allows players to sit down, relax, and listen to the hum of the engine while they do fun activities such as playing crossword puzzles, getting in-flight snacks, and experiencing the trifecta of taxiing, taking off, and landing. Sessions last for the real-time duration of the flight. 

Clayton Neuman, VP of Gaming for AMC, said about the game:

AMC has always been committed to bringing visionaries’ passion projects to life — on-screen and now in games, and we’re thrilled to launch this new label with the debut of Hosni Auji’s Airplane Mode. The game is as insightful as it is absurd; a meditation on life between destinations, and one that we will be proud to bring to players worldwide next year.

The game’s official Steam page says that Airplane Mode is full of “authentic ambient noise,” including crying babies. It clarifies, though, that not every flight comes with a crying baby. 

According to a press release, it also includes: 

• Fairly accurate satellite imagery of your flight path
• Carry-on bag with a book, headphones, pen, and charging cable
• Overhead reading light and complimentary aircraft information card
• IFC-produced inflight safety video
• Chance of inclement weather (turbulence), bad WiFi, and delays
• Inflight magazine filled with travel articles, crossword and Sudoku.

While the real question might be “why is Airplane Mode even a game?”, the answer is most likely that this is the necessary next step in human civilization — or at least simulation games in the vein of Bus Simulator or even Hand Simulator.

By simulating the monotony of their daily lives, players will be ready the next time they’re forced to fly coach and choke down subpar food as they fight for dominion over the central armrest. Or it might just be a game about flying in an airplane.  

While Airplane Mode launches in 2020, a special alpha build of the game will run during Desert Bus For Hope’s 2019 livestream on Tuesday, November 12. The Desert Bus For Hope’s charity “combines video games with tedium” and has raised more than $4.4 million for Child’s Play, an organization that improves the lives of children in hospitals.

The event will kick off on November 8, at 11 a.m. EST. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more news on Airplane Mode as it hits the tarmac. 

Sources: Gamasutra, Steam, Desert Bus, Child’s Play