I'm playing Rusty's Retirement as I type this article. This cute farming sim runs at the bottom of your screen as you go about your working day. You can plant crops, hire watering robots, harvest blueberry bushes, raise pigs, all while validating the spreadsheets from Paula in accounts. Paula! Where are the running totals!? I can't find the running t- oh, they're under the turnips. Sorry, Paula. My bad.

But can you actually play "idle games" like this while getting your work day done? Aren't they distracting and obstructive? These are important questions. I plan to find the answers by playing Rusty's Retirement while simultaneously - and dutifully - completing days of work. Let's go!

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Farming simulators often require a lot of attention and thought, belying their cosy aesthetics and gentle, relaxing music. Even a game like Stardew Valley can feel like a part-time job occasionally. Rusty’s Retirement effectively sidesteps this issue. Not only is it a peaceful, pastoral farm and building game, it only occupies a portion of your monitor, allowing you to split your attention between your crops and anything else on your desktop. Little wonder it's been such a huge success, selling 100,000 copies in a matter of days.

Steam is lousy with farming sims that will absolutely destroy your productivity by ensnaring you within a compulsive loop of reaping and sowing. Rusty's Retirement explicitly promises a less engrossing experience: it's a farming sim that "sits at the bottom of your screen while you do other things."

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