A Delightful Game Called "It's Literally Just Mowing" Is Exactly What You Think

The video game's name does not lie, and for the game's designer, that was the point.

Jan 14, 2025

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There is nothing special about our lawn. I pay a company to help keep the weeds in check every year, but I’m not someone stressed about a dirt patch. Plus, I’ve tried tossing different seeds on it every year and nothing takes. I give up, the dirt victorious.

Nonetheless, one of my regular joys in the spring, summer, and fall is mowing the lawn. It’s a chance for the noise cancellation in my headphones to kick into high gear and walk away from the world for an hour and change. I catch up on a lot of podcast here. Also, when you’re in the house, there are a million things you can get roped into, especially with two young children running around. Out there? Not my problem!

A game I play with myself each year is timing my last mow with the gas running out. This year, I failed, and was forced to run the mower to get the tank dry, but last year, the mower died out as I was approaching my shed. If that’s not the definition of pure and inconsequential suburban bliss, I’m not sure what to tell you. I also realize it's sad.

Uh, anyway.

It’s Literally Just Mowing, a delightful little game where you quietly mow a series of lawns without fear of consequence, launched on Apple Arcade last week. It’s not an Apple Arcade original, but it does have the in-app purchases removed. (They were light by most standards, but it’s still one of the nicer parts of Apple Arcade’s pitch.)

The game describes itself as a “casual zen”—and I agree. And if you don’t have Apple Arcade, it’s available on the regular App Store and on Android devices via Google Play.

To learn more about the casual zen, I had a quick chat with Matthew Knights, co-founder of Protostar Games and lead designer on It's Literally Just Mowing, where we chatted talk about what else…mowing, of course. And a little more than that, too.

P.S. If you’re looking for something a bit more complicated, try Mowing Mazes. It’s a spin-off from the same studio, and turns the grass clipping experience into puzzles.

Crossplay: Where did the funny name “It’s Literally Just Mowing” come from?
Matthew Knights: During development it was called "Mowing Life" among other names, but when we playtested the game, many people were underwhelmed that all you did was mow lawns. Even though you technically do more than just mow lawns in the game, we decided that if we changed the name to "It's Literally Just Mowing", we'd set players' expectations right from the start. The change worked. Now you know right from when you read the title, if the game might appeal to you.

Please tell me what, if any, experience you have mowing a lawn in your life. Any formative mowing experiences?
Knights: At around 13 years old, I started mowing the family yard in a small rural North Queensland town. I used an old 2-stroke push mower, not a ride-on unfortunately, and the humidity was something unbearable, but the promise of a crisp $5 note made it all worthwhile. Most of those notes would later be combined to buy, you guessed it, video games.

What was the original idea behind It’s Literally Just Mowing? What made it seem like a compelling idea?
Knights: The original seed for the game probably dates back to the After Dark screensavers for Apple Macintosh that were popular in the early 90s. They were best known for "Flying Toasters," but I really liked one called "Mowin' Man". It was a guy on a ride-on mower that continuously mowed rows of grass that just wouldn't stop growing—something hypnotic about watching those perfect lines appear. We expanded this idea to include a whole town of lawns to tidy up and made sure each lawn could be mowed nice and quickly for people who only have a few minutes to play.

What is the appeal of mowing a lawn, and comparatively, what’s the appeal of mowing a virtual lawn?
Knights: There's a nice feeling you get when you take something that's been neglected and make it cared for again. We tried to capture this in the game, making the grass look as appealing as possible, with lots of variation and subtle details like gusts of wind gently blowing through the blades.

Can you tell me a bit about the audience for this game? Who’s played previous versions, and how many of them are people who, having freshly mowed their lawn, simply want to find another lawn to spend some time with?
Knights: The game tends to be quite popular with older players. We receive feedback regularly from people who used to enjoy the simple pleasure of mowing a lawn but are no longer able to because of age or disability. "It's Literally Just Mowing" allows them to experience that feeling once more. We also hear from players who like to use the game to calm down after a stressful day. We love hearing this kind of feedback.

The game is described as a “casual zen experience.” What, do you think, appeals to folks with games like this?
Knights: There's a lot of stimulation and distraction in the modern world and sometimes we get overloaded with complex decisions. This can cause anxiety and a sense of unease with many people. A casual zen experience, such as mowing a lawn, offers a simple goal with immediate visual feedback. You can see your progress with every pass of the mower, and there's something deeply satisfying about that simplicity.

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